Every Theory On Air India Plane Crash Will Be Analysed, Says Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry, on Saturday, held its first press conference on the tragic Air India plane crash incident which claimed the lives of over 240 people on Thursday. The Union Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, in the press briefing, mentioned that a 3-month time has been given to a high-level committee to probe the plane crash adding all the theories on the AI-171 flight will be analysed.

The Centre had earlier announced a “high-level multi-disciplinary Committee” for examining the causes that led to the crash of an ill-fated Air India flight when it rammed into a medical college’s hostel building, just seconds after taking off from the Sardal Vallahbhbhai Patel International airport.

Aviation Ministry presser on Air India Plane Crash: 

The ministry first offered condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in the horrific crash and then gave a detailed brief about the series of actions taken to tackle the situation.

The ministry informed that the incident happened around 1:40 pm and around 3-3:30 pm the DGCA and the aviation ministry authorities were present at the site. Rescue operations by the Gujarat government were already underway.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport's runway from where Flight AI-171 took off was closed for safety checks and was reopened to operate normally at around 5 pm on Thursday.

Talking about the plane's history, the ministry admitted that the aircraft had no issues while it traveled from Paris to Delhi and then from Delhi to Ahmedabad.

The ministry is treating the incident with "utmost seriousness" while they "eagerly wait" for the decoded results of the plane's black box recovered from the crash location yesterday around 5 pm. The black box is believed to reveal key details of what happened moments before the crash.

Further, the ministry reiterated its commitment to analyze all the emerging theories regarding the crash based on the investigation report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which delved into the investigation almost immediately after the incident.

Reiterating its "utmost seriousness" for the matter, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu briefed the press that another "high-level" committee will be formed and that the ministry is already on it.

"The Home Secretary is going to be the Chairman of the Committee, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Additional Secretary from MHA, one representative from the State of Gujarat where the incident actually happened, representative from State Disaster Response Authority, Gujarat, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, DG Inspection and Safety from the Indian Air Force, DG BCAS, DG DGCA, Special Director from IB and Director from the Directorate of Forensic Sciences Services," said Ram Mohan.

The high-level committee involves people from various backgrounds who can contribute with their expertise and value the committee.

It will holistically investigate the incident within a 3-month time frame and will discuss the results with various stakeholders and experts as per what is necessary for the investigation.