Families of AI171 crash victims seek release of black box data, write to PM

Families of AI171 crash victims urge PM to release black box data, seeking closure and truth about the tragedy.

Ten months after the tragic Air India plane crash that killed 260 persons, bereaved families of the victims have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the release of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and black box data.

Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London, crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here on June 12, 2025.

The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground.

Around 30 bereaved families from across Gujarat met in Ahmedabad on Saturday (April 4, 2026), and wrote a letter to the PM, requesting the release of the CVR and 'black box' (Flight Data Recorder) data to uncover the truth behind the calamity.

"We want to know the truth about what caused the crash and whether there was any technical problem," they said.

The letter, copies of which were sent to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, stated that if the black box data cannot be made public, it should at least be shared with the victims' families, privately.