Air India Ahmedabad plane crash: India plans to send the severely damaged black box from the Air India Boeing 787 crash to the United States for detailed analysis. Due to extensive fire damage after the plane crash, data extraction in India has proven unfeasible.The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), collectively known as black box, are painted bright orange and are near the aircraft’s tail section where crash impact is typically minimal. However, these devices often sustain significant damage from crash impact or subsequent fires.The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) will undergo examination at the National Safety Transport Board (NTSB) laboratory in Washington, sources told ET. The findings will be shared with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), as international protocols mandate that the country where the incident occurred leads the investigation.“While AAIB had established a laboratory at its headquarters in Delhi last year, it is yet to be properly equipped to extract data from recorders which have sustained heavy damage. The NTSB team will carry them to their lab under protection and supervision from Indian officials to ensure that proper protocols are followed,” a person involved in the process told the financial daily.Representatives from the United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch will participate in the analysis, given that 53 British nationals were among the casualties.
Air India crash: Importance of Black Box
During crash investigations, the black boxes provide vital information. The flight data recorder captures essential technical measurements including timing, altitude and airspeed, whilst the CVR stores important audio data from the cockpit, encompassing pilot dialogues and background sounds such as electronic warning signals from cockpit systems.
Black Box: Decoding Air India plane crash
According to the source quoted above, retrieving data from these recording devices can take anywhere between two days to several months, based on how severely the units are damaged.“Due to damage to the recorder, we need to extract the chip by removing the memory board to prevent further data loss. We also need to evaluate the condition of the electronic circuit,” the person explained.The Boeing 787, similar to other modern aircraft, is made with multiple backup systems and duplicate critical components to ensure operational safety and reliability. The aircraft is capable of maintaining flight for 345 minutes using a single engine, even with various system malfunctions.The investigation team is analysing several scenarios, including whether wing flaps were correctly deployed and the reason for landing gear deployment. They are also investigating potential electronic malfunctions or fuel contamination that could cause engine failures.The pilot’s final communication was a single Mayday emergency call. According to Samir Kumar Sinha, secretary of the civil aviation ministry, there was no subsequent response to air traffic control.