Black box recovered from Air India plane wreckage as extra safety checks ordered on upcoming flights

Indian authorities order additional inspections on Air India's Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the site of the crash. EPA

India's aviation authority on Friday mandated additional safety checks on Air India's Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet in the wake of a plane crash which killed all but one of 242 passengers on board.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the move was a "preventive measure" following the deadly air accident on Thursday.

The regulator said one-off inspections would be carried out on flights leaving India from Sunday, covering various operational systems, including electronic engine control and cabin air compressors.

Meanwhile, India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the flight data recorder, or black box, from the Air India plane has been recovered by the country's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau

Both Reuters and AFP had earlier reported that the black box has been found, citing police sources.

Planes usually carry two black boxes, which serve as electronic data recorders and serve as crucial tools in piecing together the causes of air accidents.

Two police sources told Reuters that one of two black boxes from the 787 had been found. They did not say whether it was the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder that had been recovered.

Rescue workers continue to scour the wreckage of Air India flight 171 that crashed into a medical training centre on Thursday, killing 241 passengers. At least 24 are understood to have died on the ground.

According to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), black box data recorders can retain at least 88 different parameters of a flight operation, including time, airspeed and altitude, with more than 1,000 data points recorded from inside the aircraft.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to London’s Gatwick Airport.

All but one of those on board died in the crash, along with a number of others in the residential area of the crash site that including BJ Medical College.

Vishwashkumar Ramesh, from Leicester in the UK, is the only survivor and is receiving treatment for minor injuries in hospital.

Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah meets British plane crash survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. AP

Air India has set up Friends & Relatives Assistance Centres at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick airports to provide support for those with family members and loved ones on board flight AI171.

A dedicated passenger hotline number for those calling from within India is 1800 5691 444; and those calling from outside India: [phone].