AHMEDABAD: Officials from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) surveyed the site of Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people, sources said on Sunday, with families continuing to wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies.

Along with the NTSB, officials from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were in Ahmedabad in western India’s Gujarat state surveying the crash site, one source with direct knowledge told Reuters.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. Around 30 people died on the ground.

Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down.

Relatives slam Air India’s slow response, demand faster aid, communication

The secretary of the US Department of Transport, Sean Duffy, said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the FAA and the NTSB to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams.

“Well take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB’s investigation,” Duffy said.

The FAA and NSTB did not immediately respond to Reuters queries outside regular business hours.

The FAA has said India will lead the investigation, but the NTSB is the official US representative for providing assistance, while the FAA provides technical support.

Boeing officials will also look at various parameters in their inspections, including the angle of landing, as they investigate the matter, said the first source.

In all, around 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including from the NTSB, said the second source.

India’s aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected.

The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India which has for years being trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises.

In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling.

DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city’s main hospital, said on Sunday. “The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect,” he said.

Slow support

More than three days after giving a DNA sample, Imtiyaz Ali is enduring an anguished wait to receive the remains of his brother who died in the crash.

“My 72 hours are over, but I’ve not heard from them so far,” Ali said in Ahmedabad, where relatives of victims have gathered since the air disaster.

Ali, whose brother Javed was killed alongside his wife and two children, said he understood the delay and was more frustrated with the airline’s response.

“With Air India, the next day after this accident they should have appointed whoever they needed to ensure everything is available to us,” such as help with paperwork, he told AFP on Sunday.

“Whatever it took, they should have done it within hours of the accident,” he said, a day after being appointed a support person by the airline.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said that “over 200 trained caregivers are now in place, with each family assigned dedicated assistance”, in a video message on Saturday.

Rinal Christian, whose elder brother was on the flight, said her family keeps returning to the hospital but they have been told to wait. “They said it would take 48 hours. But it’s been four days and we haven’t received any response,” the 23-year-old said.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2025