Air India plane crash: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has granted X-category security to GVG Yugandhar, Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), following a threat assessment by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), according to an India Today report. The security upgrade comes amid Yugandhar’s leading role in the high-profile investigation into the recent Ahmedabad plane crash.
CRPF commandos assigned
As part of the enhanced security protocol, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos have been deployed to ensure the safety of DG Yugandhar. The MHA’s move reflects growing concerns over potential threats linked to sensitive findings in the ongoing aviation probe. Intelligence inputs reportedly highlighted security risks given Yugandhar’s access to critical and confidential data related to the crash.
Multidisciplinary probe team on AI plane crash investigation
The AAIB, in compliance with national and international aviation safety standards, constituted a multidisciplinary investigation team on 13 June to examine the Ahmedabad crash. Headed by DG Yugandhar, the team includes experts in aviation medicine, air traffic control, and representatives from the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—the agency representing the country of manufacture and design of the aircraft involved.
CVR and FDR recovered
Key to the investigation are the aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), collectively known as the black boxes. The CVR was recovered on 13 June from a rooftop at the crash site, while the FDR was retrieved from the wreckage three days later. Both devices were stored under round-the-clock police protection and constant CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad, following strict international aviation protocols.
Black Boxes transported to Delhi for analysis
On 24 June, the Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted both black boxes to the AAIB Lab in Delhi under high security. The first box, accompanied by DG Yugandhar, reached the lab at 2 pm, and the second arrived by 5:15 pm. The same evening, technical teams from the AAIB and NTSB began extracting data from the devices.
On 25 June, officials accessed the Crash Protection Module of the front black box and successfully retrieved and downloaded its memory data. The analysis now underway aims to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the crash.