By A Correspondent – India’s civil aviation ministry has confirmed that investigators have successfully retrieved and accessed flight recorder data from the fatal Air India crash that killed at least 270 people.

The breakthrough marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation into the tragedy.

The London-bound Boeing 787 crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India on June 12. The catastrophe is one of the deadliest in the country’s recent aviation history.

Authorities had earlier recovered both sets of Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs), commonly referred to as “black boxes,” from the crash site. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was located on June 13, followed by the flight data recorder on June 16.

According to the civil aviation ministry, the data was accessed on Wednesday by a joint team led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, in collaboration with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

The black boxes are critical to understanding the aircraft’s final moments. The flight data recorder captures intricate details such as gear and flap lever positions, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow, and fire handle activations. This information helps investigators reconstruct the flight path and mechanical operations just before the crash.

Meanwhile, the cockpit voice recorder provides audio from within the flight deck, including pilot communications, individual microphone inputs, and ambient cockpit sounds.

Officials warn that it could take several weeks to fully analyze the data and determine the probable cause of the crash. Until then, the victims’ families—and the aviation industry—await answers.