IX-812 black box is in fine shape: Probe head

The black box of Air India Express IX-812 flight “is in perfect health” and it will be possible for experts to retrieve information stored in it, former air marshal Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale, who is heading the court of inquiry into the crash of the aircraft, has said.

Gokhale, who visited the crash site in Mangalore on Monday, held talks with the additional deputy commissioner of the district Prabhakar Sharma.

“My second round of information will come from survivors of the air crash. I intend to visit all the eight survivors at their respective places,” he said.

Gokhale said the headquarters of the court of inquiry would be in New Delhi.

He would be assisted by four assessors in the inquiry — Captain Ron Nagar, a senior pilot; SS Nath, a senior officer in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA); Babu Peter, a retired aircraft engineer; and Gurcharan Bhatura, former executive director of the Airports Authority of India who runs the Foundation of Aviation and Sustainable Tourism, were specialists in different fields of aviation, Gokhale said. SN Dwivedi, director, airworthiness, DGCA, would be secretary to the court.

He said he was happy with the quantum of compensation cleared by Air India till now for the families of crash victims.