Image Source: Agencies

June 27, 2025: India would not allow a UN investigator to join a probe of a crashed Air India jet that some safety experts had criticized for delays in analysis of crucial black box data, two senior sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
After the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators for assistance. In the past, the International Civil Aviation Organization has sent investigators to assist with specific investigations, such as the 2014 downing of a Malaysian plane and the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian jetliner. However, at those times, the organization had been asked for assistance. ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities refused the offer, the sources said. The news was first reported on Thursday by the Indian news channel Times Now.
A request for comment was not returned by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the investigation into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade. ICAO was not immediately available for comment.
India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that investigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash.
Previously, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit recovered on June 13, along with a second set that was found on June 16.
Since the National Transportation Safety Board is a part of the investigation, it was also questioned whether the recorders would be read in the United States or India. There was only one press conference that the Indian government held about the incident, and no questions were asked. Under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name "Annex 13," the decision of where to read flight recorders should be made immediately in case the evidence obtained could avert future tragedies.
Earlier this week, an Indian aviation ministry official who declined to be named said the department has been "following all the ICAO protocols." The official went on to say that representatives of the media have provided updates on significant events. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident.