Nearly ten months after the devastating Air India crash that killed 260 people, families of the victims have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) information.
The tragedy involved Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025. The aircraft caught fire, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew, along with 19 people on the ground. Only one person onboard survived.
Letter sent to PM, CM, DGCA and AAIB
Around 30 bereaved families from across Gujarat gathered in Ahmedabad on Saturday and sent a letter to the Prime Minister requesting access to the CVR and black box data to uncover the cause of the crash. Copies of the letter were also sent to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
“We want to know the truth about what caused the crash and whether there was any technical problem,” the families said in their letter. They added that if the data could not be made public, it should at least be shared privately with the victims’ families.
“My home feels empty now. No amount of compensation can fill this void. We don’t want money, we just want to know what happened,” said Nilesh Purohit, who lost his 24-year-old son in the crash.
Grieving families flag lack of support
Many families also highlighted difficulties in accessing institutional support. Kinjal Patel from Vasad, who lost her mother, criticised Air India’s recently launched website for helping families recover victims’ belongings. “There are over 25,000 items listed, but the images are unclear. It’s almost impossible to find anything,” she said.
Romin Vora from Kheda, who lost his mother, brother, and daughter, shared concerns over poor communication channels. “There is only one email ID, and responses take up to 15 days. Many people in villages don’t even know how to use email,” he said. He also called the public display of personal belongings on the portal “insensitive.”
The airline has not yet responded to the families’ concerns.
The AAIB had submitted its preliminary investigation report in July last year and is expected to release the final report in June, close to the first anniversary of the tragedy.
