Two weeks after the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick plane crash, the civil aviation ministry on Thursday said data were being extracted from the AI171 flight’s black box at a lab in Delhi to find out what led to the accident that killed 241 on board and many on the ground.

The analysis of the two components of the black box — the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) — is underway, the ministry said. “These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences.”

The data extraction began on June 24 at a laboratory in the national capital, with technical members from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in attendance.

The crash protection module from the front black box was safely retrieved. On June 25, the memory module was accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB laboratory in Delhi.

The module, the core part of the black box, saves the recorded data and protects the memory module from extreme conditions. The memory module stores recorded data.

The government clarification comes after the Opposition raised questions on the investigation of the plane crash. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X a media report questioning the government for not appointing a lead investigator.

“A fortnight after the catastrophic air crash in Ahmedabad, it is being reported that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has yet to appoint a lead investigator for the probe. This delay is inexplicable and inexcusable,” Ramesh said.

In an official statement, the aviation ministry responded that the AAIB director-general is heading the team, which also includes an aviation medicine specialist, the air traffic controller and representatives from the NTSB.

On June 12, the London-bound Air India Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad soon after takeoff from the airport. A day after the crash, the flight data recorder was found on the hostel rooftop where the plane had crashed.

The cockpit voice recorder was found in the debris on June 16. The recovered devices were kept under CCTV surveillance and police protection in Ahmedabad round the clock before they were brought to Delhi on June 24 in two phases by Indian Air Force aircraft.

The black box is crucial to understand what caused an accident as it records conversations in the aircraft till the last second of the crash. The cockpit voice recorder captures audio, including pilot conversations, alarms, ambient sounds and distress calls, while the flight data recorder saves crucial flight parameters such as altitude, engine performance and speed.