As investigators begin the probe into the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which left 241 people dead, all eyes are on the retrieval of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Boxes. That will tell us what caused one of the worst aviation disasters in India’s history.
Every commercial aircraft is equipped with two black boxes— one is the Flight Data Recorder, and the other is the Cockpit Voice Recorder.
The Flight Data Recorder records various parameters while a plane is airborne, such as altitude, airspeed, flight heading, vertical acceleration, pitch, roll, autopilot status, etc. It is placed at the rear side of a plane’s fuselage.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder, on the other hand, records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises. It is placed at the front end of a plane’s fuselage.
According to the Hindustan Times, authorities have already retrieved one of the black boxes.
Officials hope the recorders offer some clues into the accident and put to rest speculations about a possible double engine failure, bird strike, or a glitch in the plane’s flaps.
Though called a black box, this shoebox-sized electronic device is orange in colour. It is designed to withstand catastrophic forces, such as forceful impacts, fire, water pressure, and extreme temperatures.
The device is positioned inside a unit made out of strong materials like steel or titanium. It is insulated from factors such as extreme heat, cold or wetness.
To protect the Flight Data Recorder, it is placed towards the tail end of the aircraft, where the impact of a crash is usually felt least.
The black boxes also emit ultrasound signals for 30 days to make them easily discoverable in situations where they are underwater.
Once recovered, the Boeing Dreamliner’s black boxes will be sent to specialised forensic laboratories under India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
The officials will first evaluate the physical condition of the devices, which may require memory module extraction and transplantation if damaged.
The investigation process involves synchronising voice and flight data on a shared timeline, correlating findings with radar logs and air traffic control records.
Modern teams create 3D computer simulations powered by Flight Data Recorder data to visualise the aircraft's trajectory and system failures.
Since foreign citizens were also among victims of the crash, the UK, Portugal, Canada and the US are sending their teams to assist Indian officials.
Black Boxes are crucial to the understanding of why a plane crashed.
For example, when an Air France flight crashed into the Atlantic in June 2009, killing all onboard, the black boxes helped uncover what happened to the flight.
It began with the failure of speed sensors. Then the pilots pulled the aircraft up to 37,500 feet to slow it down, eventually resulting in the aircraft stalling.
Though designed as disaster-proof, the black boxes have often run into technical glitches.
Take the case of the Jeju Air plane crash in December 2024 that killed 179 people. The flight took off from Bangkok and was destined for South Korea with 181 people on board.
The plane’s black boxes were recovered from the accident site. But during an analysis by the officials, it was found that crucial data from the last few minutes of the flight was wiped out.
Another case of black box failure was seen after the notorious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight 370 in March 2014.
Though the plane was presumed to have crashed, the signals that would emanate from the black box were not detected during search operations.
