Black box to be taken to US soon

He told the reporters that the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) handed over the black box to the CoI soon after it was formed.

Stating that the CoI would send the black box soon to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US along with one of its team members, Gokale said the data to be decoded from the black box would help the team in ascertaining the reasons for the crash. “We will submit the report before August 31,” he said.

In reply to a query, he said the CoI may hold sittings in Mangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. When asked if the black box has been damaged, he said he doesn’t know the technical aspect of the black box.

Gokale also said he has directed the Air India officials to shift the aircraft wreckage to a location specified by the airport authorities.

Memorial at Kenjar

Prabhakar Sharma also said the district administration has suggested the authorities concerned to set up a memorial at Kenjar where 158 persons on board lost their lives after the aircraft crashed. “The authorities have agreed to consider the suggestion,” he said.