In a big breakthrough in the Air India crash probe, data from the black boxes of the doomed plane has been successfully downloaded and is being analysed, the government said Thursday afternoon. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft enroute to London Gatwick had crashed into a medical hostel complex soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing over 270 people, including 241 people who were onboard the plane The black boxes had suffered heavy damage in the crash and there were concerns if the recovery of usable data was possible. “On the evening of 24 June 2025, the team led by DG Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with technical members from AAIB and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab,” the government said in a release. The analysis of the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR), which are underway, aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences, it said. “All actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time bound manner,” it added. Both the CVR and FDR were recovered — one from a rooftop of the building at the crash site on 13 June, and the other from the debris on 16 June. Standard Operating Procedures were issued for their secure handling, storage, and transportation. AI171 Crash The ill-fated flight, AI171, was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal along with First Officer Clive Kunder. While Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar 1,100 hours, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier said in a statement. The aircraft took off from the Ahmedabad airport at 1.39 pm. The pilot (Sabharwal) of the plane issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after take-off to the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad. Moments later, the plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, smashed into the medical complex located outside the airport compound. At least 208 victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have been so far identified through DNA testing and 170 bodies handed over to the families.