The crash site has been long cleared. Rescue operation ended months ago and compensation discussions have moved forward. But for the families who lost their loved ones in the Air India flight AI-171 crash last June, the most difficult wait continues–the wait for an answer.As the first anniversary of the Ahmedabad crash approaches, the families of the 260 victims say they still do not know what caused the Boeing 787 to go down moments after take-off, leaving them trapped between grief and unanswered questions.On June 12, 2025, the London-bound flight crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar, killing 260 persons, including 241 on board and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.In April, a group of bereaved families wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking access to the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder data, arguing that they had the right to know what happened in the final moments.“We don’t want money, but only want to know what happened,” says Nilesh Purohit, who lost his 24-year-old son.The relatives of other victims also say that while financial assistance is important, it cannot replace clarity about the tragedy. “We want to know the truth about what caused the crash and whether there was any technical problem,” they say in their appeal seeking access to black box information.The demand for transparency has also been linked to the emotional struggle of identifying and recovering personal belongings of the victims. A few families have complained that the process of searching through recovered items has added another layer of distress.Kinjal Patel, who lost her mother in the crash, raised concerns over the difficulty the families faced while searching for belongings through digital platforms, saying thousands of listed items and unclear images made the process extremely challenging.A few relatives also questioned the communication process, saying families needed more direct updates from authorities during the investigation.Romin Vora, who lost three members of his family, including his mother, brother and daughter, highlighted the difficulties faced by families relying only on digital communication channels, saying many people were struggling to access the available systems.The compensation process has also remained a point of discussion. Radhika Rupani, daughter of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who was among those killed in the crash, has raised concerns over the compensation process. She questioned the requirement of families signing documents linked to final settlements before the completion of the investigation, arguing that families deserved transparency and clarity before closing their claims. In her communication, she said the families needed “answers” and “closure” rather than only financial assistance.Air India, however, denied that the families were being pressured and said there was no deadline forcing them to accept final compensation. The airline said families were free to wait for the investigation report before deciding on settlements.However, several families have argued that closure could not come through compensation alone. The sole survivor of the crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has also spoken about the need for transparency, saying families deserve “honesty, transparency and answers” and that lessons must emerge from the tragedy.