Air India plane crash: AAIB to release preliminary report this week

New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Wednesday told a Parliamentary committee that it will make public this week its preliminary report on Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, even as it insisted nothing has been finalised, sources said.

Officials told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture led by senior JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha that the black boxes of the ill-fated aircraft were intact and data was being examined.

During the probe led by AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar, they said, help of foreign players, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was sought to carry out detailed investigations.

Sources said senior MPs like Imran Pratapgarhi (Congress), Surender Nagar and Tapir Gao (BJP) raised questions over the Ahmedabad crash. MPs raised questions about the delay in presenting the findings of the investigations. An Opposition MP also questioned whether the Ministry's presentation was prepared by a private group involved in the sector, sources said.

At least 260 people, including 241 on board, were killed when the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad on June 12 within a minute of its take-off. One among the 242 passengers, including 12 pilots and crew, miraculously survived.

MPs cutting across party lines raised questions about aviation safety as the committee deliberated on 'Overall Review of Safety in Civil Aviation Sector'. Sources said MPs were told about an around 8 per cent dip in domestic air traffic and 1 per cent dip in international traffic in India after the Ahmedabad crash. The lawmakers also raised issues like "haphazard" growth around airports.

Sources also said MPs raised the recent chopper crashes during the Char Dham Yatra.

Concerns were also raised about the manpower crunch in Air Traffic Control and DGCA. MPs said Air Traffic Controllers are handling huge traffic and it could lead to human errors while an under-staffed DGCA is not being able to even implement directives from the committee.

The DGCA said it would take measures to fill vacant posts, sources said. Air India Managing Director and CEO MD Campbell Wilson among others attended the meeting.

On Tuesday, the Public Accounts Committee led by senior MP KC Venugopal also raised issues related to the Ahmedabad incident during which the Ministry of Civil Aviation was asked to formulate a comprehensive safety mechanism to ensure that such accidents do not recur while the DGCA was tasked to conduct regular safety audits.