The Union government has announced that it has downloaded data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad. The government further stated that this data is currently being analysed in a laboratory in Delhi. It is believed that the cause of the accident can be determined through this black box data.
The data was extracted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The contents of the black box’s memory module were downloaded at the AAIB lab. According to the government, data from both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) is under examination. Both black box units from the aircraft have been recovered. The first unit was found on the roof of the building where the aircraft crashed on June 13. The second unit was recovered from the plane’s wreckage on June 16. The black boxes were transported from Ahmedabad to Delhi on June 24 for analysis.
On June 12, an Air India Dreamliner IX 787-8 aircraft, which had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad en route to London, crashed within seconds of takeoff. The plane collided with the nearby Medical College Hostel building. There were 242 people on board, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. All but one passenger perished in the disaster. Additionally, several medical students who were dining at the hostel and nearby residents were also affected. Official reports confirm that 275 people lost their lives in the crash.
The black box is the primary tool used to investigate how such disasters occur. Despite the name, the black box is actually orange in colour. It is constructed from durable materials like titanium or steel to protect its contents from damage during severe impact. The recording devices are housed within this protective casing. The black box is designed to withstand high temperatures, water immersion, and intense impact. It primarily consists of two components: the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). The FDR captures technical parameters such as the aircraft’s speed, altitude, engine performance, radar data, and control system operations.
