New Delhi . A few minutes after flying from Ahmedabad (AIHMADAABAD), Air India (Air India )’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed (Airplane Crash), killing more than 200 people. The accident has become the world’s largest aviation accident in the last decade. The aircraft was going to London and flight number was AI-171. There were a total of 242 people aboard it. After the accident, priority is being given on the search and analysis of the black box of the aircraft. Experts say that this important data may take several weeks to several months to fully decod and analyze.
The AI-171 flight took off from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm. Shortly after the takeoff, the aircraft sent a ‘Made’ call and fell on a medical college hostel at a height of about 625 feet. This is the first time in the history of Boeing 787 Dreamliner when passengers have died in a flight. The aircraft has been in commercial services since 2011 and has been counted among the safest aircraft so far.
What is black box and why is it important?
Despite the name ‘Black Box’, these are two strong orange tools of orange. The first flight data recorder (FDR), which records the height, speed, engine status and every technical action performed by the pilot. The second cockpit voice recorder (CVR) that records pilots’ interaction, radio contact with control tower and other sounds of cockpit.
According to the American institution National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the black box records a 25 -consecutive hour flight information. This information will be very important in the Ahmedabad accident to find out that the cause of the accident was technical fault, the engine failed, the pilot missed, or there was any other reason.
According to experts, in the event of not increasing the height immediately after the takeoff and sending emergency calls, FDR will get information about the performance and warning signals from the engine. Whereas CVR will highlight the efforts and dialogues made by the pilots at that moment.
How is the black box examined?
After getting the black box, it is sent to India’s aircraft accident investigation bureau (AAIB) or an international laboratory. If the device is damaged, the memory present in it is removed and transplanted to another system. In the investigation process, flight data and audio are added to a shared timeline and compared to air traffic control records and radar data. Now investigators can also see the final flight of the aircraft in a visual form by making 3D simulation.
Aviation Safety Advisor Anthony Brickhouse saw in the available video that the aircraft’s landing gear was down, while it should have been up. This indicates a technical problem, which can be confirmed by black box data.
How long will the investigation take?
If the black box device is in the right position, it takes 2 to 4 weeks to extract the initial data. But if they are damaged by water or collision, it may take longer to clean, dry and repair them.
As per the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the initial report has to be released within 30 days, but the entire report may take up to 12 to 24 months. According to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), modern aircraft generate thousands of data points every second, which have to be analyzed very subtle. However, with the help of American NTSB, the process of Indian investigation team can be accelerated. However, since this is the first major accident of Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it may take longer to understand its complications.
