(Image source from: PTI)
The black box from the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after its departure from Ahmedabad yesterday, has been located. This resilient device, essential for recording critical data in aviation, was discovered atop the doctors' hostel that the aircraft struck. A significant team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), supported by 40 members of the Gujarat government, retrieved the digital flight data recorder (DFDR), commonly known as the black box. Its findings will be crucial in determining the factors behind one of the most devastating airline disasters in India’s history. Although referred to as a black box, it is brightly colored orange to enhance its visibility amid wreckage and underwater.
This device holds vital information, including flight speed, altitude, engine performance, and cockpit audio, which encompasses exchanges between the pilots and air traffic control. It is designed to endure extreme heat, water exposure, and intense impacts, preserving essential data even in dire situations. Made from exceptionally strong materials like steel and titanium, the black box comprises two primary sections: the DFDR, which records technical flight data, and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which captures the audio within the cockpit, documenting pilot conversations and communication with air traffic control. The Tata-owned airline's flight, scheduled from Ahmedabad to London, had 242 passengers onboard, with only one survivor, a British national of Indian descent. Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrashekhar noted that investigative teams from India, the United States, and the United Kingdom have reached the crash site within the past 24 hours.
“Expert investigators will assist us in uncovering the reasons behind this tragic incident during what should have been a standard flight,” he stated. This specific Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was manufactured 12 years prior. Security footage from Ahmedabad airport depicted the Air India plane accelerating down the runway prior to takeoff, appearing perfectly normal at first glance. However, mere seconds after becoming airborne—an event that seemed routine—the Dreamliner, known for its reliability, failed to achieve the expected altitude for an aircraft of its size and model. It maintained a level flight for a brief period before beginning to descend. The alarming visuals unmistakably indicated that the flight was in jeopardy. The aircraft ultimately collided with a medical college’s doctors' hostel located a distance from the runway's end.
