Ahmedabad plane crash: Second black box recovered from Air India crash site, cockpit voice recorder to help identify cause

In a major development, the officials investigating the Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, have found the second black box, the Cockpit Voice Recorder. The crucial recovery will aid in identifying the possible cause behind the tragic crash that claimed 270 persons. The officials confirmed the recovery of black boxes to P K Mishra, the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported by PTI. Mishra on Sunday inspected the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad and also visited the civil hospital where injured persons are undergoing treatment. Earlier, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had confirmed that only the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the ill-fated plane was found, as per PTI.

What is a Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR?

Commercial aircraft are required to be equipped with two ‘black boxes’ which are the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The CVR records radio transmissions, conversations, and sounds in the cockpit. The recorder will have pilot voices and engine noises. The FDR, on the other hand, tracks vital flight parameters including altitude, airspeed, and heading. These black boxes are strategically installed in the tail section, the most crash-survivable area, to help investigators identify the cause leading to an accident. The information stored on the recorder is extracted and translated into an understandable format.  With this crucial information, the investigator-in-charge determines the probable cause of the accident. 

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), along with international agencies including,  the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); the civil aviation watchdog of the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), have begun probing Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad. The downloading of raw data from two black boxes could reportedly take up to 25 hours for the DFDR and two hours for the CVR. Together with the data analysis, the process could take up to four to five days, according to a senior investigator of the AAIB.

Meanwhile, the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad has so far claimed 270 lives. The hospital authorities confirmed on Sunday the identification of 80 victims through DNA matching, including that of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Authorities have handed over 33 bodies to the victims’ families.

(With inputs from PTI)