The second black box of flight AI 171 was recovered on Sunday from the Air India Dreamliner crash site. The Cockpit Voice Recorder is expected to provide critical insight into the ongoing investigation as it holds audio data from the final moments of the ill-fated flight. Investigators have already recovered the digital flight data recorder from a rooftop near the crash site.

According to an update shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, authorities retrieved the CVR from the crash wreckage on Sunday afternoon. The CVR records all sounds inside the cockpit, including pilot conversations, radio transmissions with air traffic control, warning alarms and even ambient mechanical noises. Investigators rely on this device to piece together a detailed timeline of events leading up to the crash, providing vital insights into the crew’s actions, decisions, and any technical anomalies.

It will help aviation experts reconstruct the final moments of the flight with precision — especially in combination with data from the Flight Data Recorder recovered on Friday. The FDR is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed on Thursday as AI 171 crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Another another 29 people — including five MBBS students — were killed on ground as the London-bound aircraft struck a medical college hostel in the Meghaninagar area and burst into flames. Hospital authorities have so far identified 80 victims through DNA matching and handed 33 bodies over to the families of the victims. This included former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading a thorough probe into the causes of the crash. Various Central and state government agencies, including the state police, are assisting the AAIB team at the crash site in Meghaninagar. Sources told PTI that the first meeting of a high-level multi-disciplinary committee formed by the Centre will be held on Monday in New Delhi.

(With inputs from agencies)