The families of victims from the deadly Air India crash in June are calling for the immediate release of the aircraft’s flight recorders, citing delays as a growing concern and eroding trust in the investigation. The crash, which occurred on June 12 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claimed the lives of 241 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with an additional 19 victims on the ground.
A preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau revealed that fuel to the jet’s engines was cut off moments before the plane’s impact, based on information from the cockpit voice recording. However, the report stopped short of assigning blame, with one pilot questioning the other about the fuel cutoff, only for the second pilot to deny having done so.
Imtiaz Ali Sayed, a relative of several victims, voiced the frustration of the affected families, demanding the release of the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, also known as the black box. “These devices contain vital information that can reveal the truth behind this horrific tragedy,” Sayed said in a media statement, adding that he was speaking on behalf of 60 families who continue to suffer from the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the crash.
Sayed, whose younger brother and his family were killed in the crash, expressed the emotional toll the delays were taking on the families: “Every day without answers deepens the pain of our loss and erodes public trust in aviation safety.”
Some families are considering legal action against Air India and Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer. Mike Andrews, an attorney from the U.S.-based Beasley Allen Law Firm representing 65 families from India and Britain, indicated that legal claims could be pursued if the flight data and voice recorders point to any defects with the aircraft.