Local media report says 1 black box of crashed Air India plane found

NEW DELHI -- Aviation authorities have found one of the two black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed in the western Indian state of Gujarat, killing 241 on board, local newspaper Hindustan Times said.

The London-bound flight crashed on Thursday afternoon shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.

"Of the two black boxes, the one in the rear of the aircraft has been located and safely guarded. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will collect the equipment to analyze the recordings. The second black box, in the aircraft's front portion, is yet to be found," the newspaper quoting a source said.

Black boxes are electronic data recorders in the aircraft. The bright orange or yellow rectangular boxes are designed to withstand high-speed crashes, explosions, fire and water pressure.

Experts said the answer to what went wrong for Air India Flight 171 may lie in these small machines. It contains flight and cockpit recordings, and flight data, which can help investigators to understand the reason behind the plane crash. However, it takes days to analyze the data.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian, apart from two pilots and 10 cabin crew members on board when it crashed at the premises of a medical college.

Air India on Friday confirmed the crash killed 241 passengers on board, and the only survivor in the incident is being treated in a hospital.

The Indian government's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has initiated a formal investigation into the crash.

Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg said he has spoken with Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran following the crash and expressed readiness to support the investigation by Indian authorities.

The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft bearing number AI171 went down after takeoff at an altitude of 825 feet and crashed on the premises of B J Medical College, causing severe damage to the buildings.

According to the Federation of All India Medical Associations Doctors Association, one person was killed, while at least five medical students and four relatives of resident doctors were reported missing, and 50 others were injured at the premises of B J Medical College.