Parl panel summons Boeing officials, civil aviation secy in Air India crash

Two weeks after a Boeing Dreamliner with Air India crashed in Ahmedabad minutes after taking off, Parliament's Transport Committee has summoned Boeing officials and the Civil Aviation Secretary to appear before the panel, The Economic Times reported on Friday.

The officials have been summoned regarding the safety concerns. Citing sources, the report stated the panel intends to conduct a detailed study of the crash and will hold deliberations with several stakeholders, including Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and Boeing.

India’s worst air tragedy in decades under investigation

On June 12, an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick (London) crashed into a medical college in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The crash resulted in the loss of nearly 270 lives, including 241 people out of 242 people on board.

The committee, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP and Janata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Jha, oversees matters relating to transport and civil aviation. The panel is expected to submit a detailed report on aviation safety and investigate issues such as when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was procured and why it was selected over other aircraft, the report said.

Data extracted from black box

The developments come a day after the investigators probing the Air India Flight 171 crash extracted data from the black box at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said, adding that the analysis of the data is underway.

In an unusual move, the United Nations offered one of its investigators to India to assist in the probe of the crash. However, earlier today, Reuters reported that the central government has denied a UN investigator to join the probe of Air India flight 171.

Tata pledges long-term family support

Meanwhile, N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons' chairman, on Thursday, announced that Tata Sons and Tata Trusts will jointly form a dedicated trust to provide long-term assistance to the families of the deceased in the accident.