'Don't speculate on Air India crash', minister asks Western media
What's the story
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has asked the Western media to refrain from speculation over the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. He also praised the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for successfully decoding black box data in India. "I believe in AAIB. I believe in the work that they are doing," he said, highlighting their achievement of decoding black box data domestically for the first time.
Investigation progress
AAIB reviewing circumstances of June 12 crash
Kinjarapu stressed the importance of waiting for the final report before drawing any conclusions. He called it inappropriate to make comments at this stage. "Making any comments until the final report has come, I don't think it is a good exercise on behalf of anyone," he said. The AAIB is currently reviewing the circumstances of the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people.
Data decoding
Black box data retrieval
The minister also lauded AAIB's efforts in decoding black box data, which was previously sent abroad for retrieval. "It was a huge success for us because previous incidents...were always sent abroad to get the data out," he said. The preliminary report has been seen and is under examination, with the final report expected to clarify causes and necessary safety interventions.