AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI, 14 Jun: The death toll in the London-bound Air India (AI) plane crash in Ahmedabad rose to 270 on Saturday even as the Centre set up a high-level multi-disciplinary panel headed by the Union home secretary to examine the causes that led to the disaster.
As investigators pore over wreckage at the BJ Medical College hostel and canteen complex for clues after the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (AI171) on Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said aviation regulator DGCA has ordered “extended surveillance” for the Tata-owned airline’s Boeing 787 series planes.
In a post on X, Air India said it has done one-time safety checks on nine of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and is on track to complete the checks on the remaining 24 such planes as directed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The carrier now has 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s and seven Boeing 787-9s in its fleet.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board AI171 and another 29 persons including five MBBS students on the ground were killed when the aircraft came down moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before falling inside the nearby campus of the state-run BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar area and going up in flames.
The digital flight data recorder (DFDR), commonly known as the black box, was recovered from the “rooftop” of the hostel building at the crash site on Friday.
There was no word yet on recovery of another black box – the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). This instrument records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises.
Naidu said India has very strict aviation safety standards and robust protocols, and everything will be done to further improve safety.
The central panel headed by the union home secretary will also suggest comprehensive guidelines to prevent incidents like the Ahmedabad crash in the future. It will have its first meeting on Monday. The panel will publish its report in three months, a statement by the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
The panel will ascertain the root cause of the crash and assess the contributing factors, including mechanical failure, human error, weather conditions, regulatory compliances and other reasons, it said.
It will also recommend necessary improvements and formulate suitable standard pperating procedures(SOP) to prevent such incidents in the future. The SOPs would also include best international practices regarding preventing and handling such incidents, the statement said.
The ministry said the committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations.
Chaired by union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the panel has the civil aviation secretary and the additional secretary in the home ministry as members, according to an order dated 13 June.
The committee will also collaborate with international agencies if foreign nationals or aircraft manufacturers are involved. The Dreamliner that crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad airport on 12 June underwent comprehensive maintenance checks in June 2023 and was due for the next scheduled comprehensive checks in December this year, according to airline officials.
The plane en route to London Gatwick crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. Apart from 241 people onboard the plane, many others on the ground also died.
Officials said on Saturday that the aircraft VT-ANB underwent C checks or comprehensive checks in June 2023 and the next such scheduled checks were to happen in December this year.
The C checks were done by AIESL (AI Engineering Services Ltd).
The right side engine of the nearly 12-year-old aircraft was overhauled and installed in March 2025, while an inspection of the left side engine was done as per the engine manufacturer’s protocol in April 2025, the officials said. (PTI)
