Black box of crashed Air India Express jet found: What is it and why is it crucial in Aircrash investigations

Team Udayavani, Aug 9, 2020, 10:25 AM IST

The digital flight data recorder (DFDR), known as a black box of an Air India Express jet that overshot the tabletop runway of the Calicut International Airport while arriving from Dubai, was recovered on Saturday, Aug 8, by Civil aviation ministry’s Aircraft Accident Investigation  Bureau (AAIB)

These boxes will help investigators in knowing the crucial events that led to the crash

Black Box

Usually, after a plane crashes, one of the first things that investigators search for is the black box. This box holds two components, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

The cockpit voice recorder keeps a recording of all the conversations taking place in a plane’s cockpit and along with the flight data recorder, which logs data such as airspeed, altitude and fuel flow, it can help in determining the cause of the crash

According to Natgeo, Flight Data recorder is essential to the work of Air Crash Investigators as it records the many different operating functions of a plane all at once, such as the time, altitude, airspeed and direction the plane is heading. But these are just the primary functions of the recorder, in fact, modern Flight Data Recorders are able to monitor countless other actions undertaken by the plane, such as the movement of individual flaps on the wings, auto-pilot and fuel gauge.

It also records the times at which these actions occurred. This allows investigators to input this data into a system that connects it together and creates a video of what may have happened.

Cockpit Voice Recorder records what the crew say and monitor any sounds that occur within the cockpit. Investigators are keen to pick up on sounds such as engine noise, stall warnings or emergency pings and pops.

The equipment stores the previous two hours of the flight and important for determining the timing of events as it contains information such as communication between the crew and ground control and other aircraft. It is s usually located in the tail of a plane.

Also, interestingly the so-called black box has never actually been black. The color is predetermined, bright orange.