India denied a UN representative access to the investigation into the crash of the Boeing 787 plane near Ahmedabad, despite the remarks of international experts about the delay in working with the black boxes. About this informs Reuters.
The UN’s aviation safety agency has invited India to send an investigator to support the probe, a move that is unusual as such participation is usually only possible at the invitation of a country. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) previously sent its investigators to investigate the circumstances surrounding the downing of a Malaysian airliner in 2014 and a Ukrainian airliner in 2020. However, India did not even grant observer status to the UN expert.
Aviation experts have previously criticized the Indian side for a lack of transparency in the investigation, particularly regarding the treatment of the recorders. The first black box was found on June 13, the second on June 16, but the data from them could only be read two weeks after the disaster. Where exactly the decryption will take place — in India or the United States — is currently unknown. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also joined the investigation.
The Aviation Bureau of India (AAIB) had no comment. The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that the recorders were read two weeks after the accident. During this period, the authorities held only one press conference, without the opportunity for journalists to ask questions. According to Annex 13 of the MOCA regulations, the reading of data from black boxes should begin immediately if the information could potentially help prevent future tragedies.
It will be recalled that on June 12, the Boeing 787 plane, which took off from Ahmedabad to London, without gaining altitude, crashed near the residential buildings of the medical college. There were 242 people on board, including 169 Indian citizens, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian citizen. Among the dead is former two-time Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. Only one passenger – Ramesh Vishvashkumar, a citizen of Great Britain – managed to survive.
At least 50 medical students have been hospitalized after plane debris hit the campus, two of them in critical condition. According to the police, the total number of victims is at least 290 people.
