7 days after AI plane crash in Ahmedabad, debris, tail fin still lying at site as probe continues

Ahmedabad: A week after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad claimed 270 lives, the debris, including the ill-fated aircraft's tail fin, is still lying at the site as investigators looked for clues to establish the exact cause behind the accident, said officials on Thursday.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board plunged into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12. As many as 270 persons, including passengers, crew members and people on the ground, were killed in the crash and subsequent fire, which engulfed the aircraft as well as hostel buildings.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is leading the investigation and its members keep visiting the site as part of the probe into one of the worst air disasters in recent times.

People near the debris of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the airport, in Ahmedabad

While the Gujarat government on Thursday clarified that it has no role in the investigation, local firemen are helping forensic and aviation experts in their ongoing probe at the crash site, said Ahmedabad's Additional Chief Fire Officer Jayesh Khadia.

After the aircraft smashed into the medical hostel complex, its tail fin got stuck on top of the hostel canteen's damaged building and it was brought to the ground using cranes on June 14, two days after the accident, said Khadia.

"The debris, including the tail fin, is still lying at the site. There are no orders on moving the rubble to some other place," he informed.

A fire officer stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, in Ahmedabad

Inspector DB Basiya of the Meghaninagar police station, under whose jurisdiction the crash occurred, maintained that AAIB will decide the fate of the plane wreckage.

"Role of the police is limited to protecting the site. The plane's wreckage is still lying there. AAIB will decide what to do with it. It is possible that in the future, AAIB may take the debris to another spot for investigation," said Basia.

Days after AAIB found the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the ill-fated plane, investigators on June 16 confirmed that Cockpit Voice Recorder was also recovered from the debris, a crucial discovery that is expected to help ascertain the cause of the horrific accident.

The officials confirmed the recovery of black boxes to P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Sunday inspected the site.

AAIB has launched a detailed investigation, while the US National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a parallel probe under international protocols as the crashed aircraft was American-made, said an official release.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing Dreamliner (AI-171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students of B J Medical College, on the ground were killed in the crash.