Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: India has rejected an unusual offer from the United Nations aviation agency to send an investigator to join the probe into the tragic Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed at least 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12, senior sources told Reuters. The decision comes amid questions raised by international safety experts over the pace and transparency of the probe.
UN’s Rare Intervention Rebuffed
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had proposed that one of its investigators already in India be granted observer status to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). However, Indian authorities declined, preferring to handle the investigation independently, sources said. This follows precedents where ICAO has sent experts for major incidents like the 2014 Malaysian Airlines tragedy or the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020 — but always at the request of the concerned nation.
Flight Data Downloaded After Delay
India’s Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed on Thursday that crucial flight recorder data — the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder recovered from the crash site — was downloaded around two weeks after the incident. While the government insists all ICAO protocols are being followed, aviation analysts have questioned why it took so long to retrieve and decode black box information that could help prevent future accidents.
Concerns Over Transparency
Under global aviation norms laid out in ICAO’s “Annex 13,” black box data should be analysed without delay, often with international collaboration. India’s decision not to accept outside help has drawn scrutiny, especially since the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the US is also participating due to Boeing’s involvement. So far, India’s AAIB has held just one press briefing about the probe and did not take questions.
