India Retrieves Black Box Data in Air India Crash Probe; Analysis Underway to Reconstruct Final Moments

Image Source: The Theorist

India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has declared a major breakthrough in the probe of the Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team began downloading data from the aircraft's black boxes on June 24, and on June 25, the front black box's crash protection module and memory unit were recovered successfully and data downloaded.

The black boxes—Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)—are currently under detailed scrutiny. The recorders contain the secrets to determining the final moments of the aircraft, pilot voice communications, the performance of systems, and flight dynamics.

The AAIB's attention is centered on recreating the sequence of events leading to the crash and determining contributory factors. Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu made it clear that the black boxes are being examined in India, countering rumors they would be sent abroad2.

The crash, which occurred on June 12, claimed over 270 lives, and it is among India's worst recent aircraft disasters. Insite evidence documentation and debris recovery has been accomplished by the AAIB, and information from the black box will be the focal point of the investigation's follow-up phase.

Sources: Outlook India, MSN, Indian Express, India Today