A London-bound Air India flight from Gujarat's Ahmedabad airport crashed into a nearby medical college hostel building minutes after take off and took lives of at least 256 people on June 12. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau confirmed that the officials have found the 'black box' from the crash site after their investigation began yesterday itself.
Black Box Found From Air India Flight Crash Site | What Is A Black Box? Can It Survive Disasters?
The police and Fire Brigade officials have told the media that efforts are carried out to recover the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 as its analysis will provide vital clues about what triggered the disaster.
The police and Fire Brigade officials had earlier told the media that efforts are carried out to recover the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 as its analysis will provide vital clues about what triggered the disaster.
The London-bound Air India plane was carrying 242 passengers and crew and it crashed in Meghaninagar on the hostel building of BJ Medical College and Hospital minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13.39 pm.
Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was among the deceased passengers while the lone survivor from the plane is Vishwaskumar Ramesh who was seated on 11A and reportedly jumped out of the plane seconds before it crashed.
Several videos surfaced of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171) losing altitude rapidly and crashing in a ball of fire releasing plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau Finds 'Black Box' At Crash Site In Ahmedabad
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has reportedly announced that the black box was found on the rooftop of the crash site.
AAIB began work with full force immediately. Over 40 staff from the State Government joined efforts to augment MoCA teams on site.
The Digital Flight Data Recorder has been recovered from the rooftop.
Ahmedabad Fire Brigade officials earlier told PTI that a team with specialized equipment like metal cutters has been deployed to search the black box in the wreckage at the accident site in Meghaninagar near the airport, where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed on Thursday afternoon.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Kanan Desai reportedly said, "Work is ongoing to find the black box."
She clarified that no such thing as a digital video recorder of the flight has been found.
Her statement came after some news reports claimed that a DVR (digital video recorder) of CCTV cameras of BJ Medical College hostel, where the plane crashed, has been taken into custody by police.
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A DVR is an electronic device designed to record and store video footage from CCTV cameras.
Fire department officials have reportedly said that they have also been asked to assist in locating the black box of the plane.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dhrumit Gandhi was quoted by PTI saying, "Our team is helping forensic and civil aviation experts in retrieving the black box. The team is equipped with specialized tools such as metal cutters."
What Is A Black Box?
A black box is a small device that is placed on the aircraft which records information during its flight. It becomes an essential element in investigation of aviation accidents.
Even though it is named 'black box', they not actually black in colour, it is typically an orange coloured box containing the Flight Data Recorder and the the Cockpit Voice Recorder.
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The FDR is used for recording technical flight parameters such as altitude, speed and engine performance while the CVR captures cockpit sounds and conversations.
According to Airbus website, the name comes from the device created by French aviation engineer François Hussenot which was used to film and 'ran continuously in a light-tight box', hence the name 'black box'.
These boxes are made to sustain crashes and thus are quite durable to survive fire and water.
A DVR is also being looked out for by the investigators which is different from the black box but its also records CCTV footage from various aircraft cameras which are typically placed in the cockpit and cabin to provide additional visual context to investigations.
Can A Black Box Survive 1000 Degree Celsius?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah who visited the crash site on Thursday said that efforts to save people from the plane crash failed as the temperature rose to extreme levels due to the burning of 1.25 lakh litres of fuel on the aircraft. Officials were quoted by India Today saying that the temperature at the site may have rose near 1000 degree Celsius.
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According to reports, these black boxes are insulated to withstand extremely high heat almost upto 1,100 degree celsius for at least one hour.
The materials used for making the box includes titanium, stainless steel in order to withstand extreme impact forces (up to 3,400 times the force of gravity).
The black boxes are also waterproof and can function at depths of up to 6,000 meters underwater for 30 days, as reported by India Today. The underwater locator beacons helps to emit signals for the investigators to find it from inside the water bodies.
While an AP report suggested that these are equipped with beacons that activate when immersed in water and can transmit from depths of 14,000 feet (4,267 meters).
Their high durability enables to survive the worst crashes and preserve essential data to figure out the exact cause behind the tragedies like that of Air India Ahmedabad plane crash.
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Who Will Recover Footage From Black Box? How?
If and when recovered, the footage from these devices will be analysed by forensic experts at specialised labs. Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder Laboratory in Delhi is one of them which was recently inaugurated.
The electronics and memory are checked, and any necessary repairs made to analyse the footage. Chips are scrutinized under a microscope.
These facilities are equipped to repair damaged recorders and extract critical data from the devices.
Who Created The Black Box?
According to news agency Associated Press, at least two people have been credited with creating devices that record what happens on an airplane.
One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane’s speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus.
In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary.
(With inputs from agencies, reports)
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