When Air India Flight 171 Crashed on Thursday, Killing All 241 passngers and crew, The Immediate Response Followed A Predictable Pattern. Emergency services rushed to the scene. Families gathered at airports. Media crews descended on Ahmedabad.
But on Sunday (June 15), something that might puzzle casual observers was also happy: Several International Aviation agencies Arrived in Ahmedabad to Participate in the tragedy. Gange those who reached India were reproductives of the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Its Top Transport Accident Investigation Agency, as well as the Federal Aviate Administration. (FAA), The US Civil Aviation Regulator, and the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
This raises the obvious Question: Why are foreign agencies, particularly from the us and the uk, invited in investigating the crash of an Indian airline on Indian soil?
Protocol laid by the chicago convention
The answer lies in a 78-yar-ald international agreement that Governs never everywhere aspect of how we fly. The convention on International Civil Aviation, Better know as the Chicago Convention, was signed in 1944 as World War Ii was drawing to a close. Its framers understand that aviation would connect the world in unpreceded ways, and that encouncing the air safety would require shared global responsibility.
Today, the Convention’s Technical Standards are overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a un agency based in montreal. All 193 Member Countries – India, the United States, and the United Kingdom – Have agreed to follow its rules. One of the most important of these is annex 13, which lays out the international protocols for investigating aircraft accounts and Serious Incidents.
Chapter 5 of Annex 13 outlines the core responsibilities for conducting Such Investigations. It clarifies that the goal is not to assign blame or liability, but to improve aviation safety by uncovering causes and preventing future acts.
Who can participate in the investigation?
According to Chapter 5, The responsibility to Investigate an Aircraft Accident Lies With The State of Ocurrence ‘ – In addition, other countries connected to the aircraft have a formal right to participate. This is include the ‘state of registry’ (where the aircraft is registered), the ‘state of the operator’ (which operated the flight), the state of design ‘, and the’ state of manufacture ‘(of aircraft’ (of aircraft).
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Since the AI 171 Air Crash Occurred on Indian Soil, India Holds the State of Occurrence Right. The Investigation into the Accident is Thus LED by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)the government agency’s ministry of civil aviation responsible for investigating civil aviation accounts and Serious Incidents.
The ‘State of the Operator’, which refers to the country where the airline’s principal place of business is located, is also also India, as Air India Operated the Aircraft. The ‘State of Registry’ is India as well; Air India’s Boeing Aircraft Carry Indian Registration Markings That Begin With Vt, Following National Regulations.
Howver, both the state of design ‘and the’ state of manfacture ‘in this case is the United States. The aircraft was manufactured by boeing and has engines made by General Electric, Both American First. Thus, us agencies such as the national transportation safety board (ntsb) and the federal aviation administration (FA) are entitled to participation in the investigation, under Iicao Annex 13. The manfacturer. Also send its own experiments as part of the ntsb’s accredited team.
The Uk’s Representatives have joined the Investigation Since 53 British nationals were on board Ai 171, all of whom died. All participants in the investigation are entitled to visit the crash site, examine the wireckage and evident, make technical submissions, and receive the final represent.
A practical necessity, with a precedent
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This isnt overreach – it’s a practical necessity. The Aim is to ensure a thorough, technically sound invitation, with all relevant stakeholders contributing to uncover the root cause and enhance global aviation safety. It reflects the principle that air safety is a shared international responsibility, especically in an era where aircraft design, technology, and manufacturing are deeply globalised, and a single ferft Model. Dozens of Airlines Across Six Continents. A Lesson Learned from a Crash in India Might Prevent An Accident in Indonesia. A design flaw discovered in delhi Could save lives in detroit.
This is why the foreign investigators pack their bags and rush to crash sits around the world – not because they interfering, but because of the common aviation safety dependi dependi dependge Acros.
India has seen this protocol in action before. When Air India Express Flight 812 Crashed in Mangalore in 2010, The NTSB Provided Technical Assistance at the Request of Indian Authorities.