Air India Boeing Crash: India Recovers Black Box From Crash Site, Launches GE Engine Review

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday issued fresh directives to Air India following the deadly crash of Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered immediate one-time checks and enhanced maintenance procedures for all Boeing (BA) 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace’s (GE) Genx engines.

Starting June 15, Air India will be required to perform pre-departure inspections focused on multiple critical systems. These include fuel parameter monitoring and related systems, cabin air pressure compressors, and the electronic engine control unit. 

Maintenance crews must also inspect the engine fuel drive actuator, review the hydraulic system, and verify key take-off parameters.

The DGCA said flight control inspections will now be mandatory during routine transit checks until further notice. 

Additionally, power assurance checks must be completed within two weeks, and maintenance teams are expected to review repetitive technical issues that have occurred on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft over the past 15 days.

Air India is required to submit a detailed report of the maintenance actions and findings to the DGCA for further review.

Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) told ANI that the black box of the crashed Air India 787-8 has been recovered. Officially known as the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), the device was found on the rooftop of a building near the crash site.

“The Flight Data Recorder (Black Box) has been recovered within 28 hours from the accident site in Ahmedabad by AAIB,” Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, confirmed in a post on X.  “This marks an important step forward in the investigation. This will significantly aid the enquiry into the incident.”

Over 40 personnel from the Gujarat state government have joined federal teams on the ground, according to AAIB. The recovered DFDR is expected to provide key insights into the sequence of events that led to the crash.

Air India has confirmed that 241 people have died after Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. The airline said there is one confirmed survivor, a British national of Indian origin, who is currently receiving treatment in a hospital. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

GE Aerospace’s stock fell 2.25% on Thursday as experts pointed to an engine issue causing the crash. In a note to clients cited by TheFly, Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned said the Air India Boeing (BA) 787-8’s flight path after takeoff showed a slow initial climb followed by a rapid descent—an indication of possible engine power loss. 

Harned noted the GEnx has a strong reliability track record but added that “maintenance performance is always a possibility in situations like this—airframe or engine.”

The stock was down nearly 2% in pre-market trade.

Meanwhile, Boeing’s stock slid 4.79% on Thursday following news of the crash and is down nearly 1.2% in Friday’s pre-market trade.

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