Investigation delves into black boxes to determine reasons behind Air India disaster causing fatalities of 270 individuals.
New Delhi - Unraveling the Mystery
Investigators in India are meticulously combing through the black boxes of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, salvaged from the wreckage of the plane crash that claimed over 270 lives last week. These black boxes hold invaluable information such as cockpit conversations and data pertaining to the aircraft's engine and control settings, offering essential insights into the disaster's cause.
The wreckage of the Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, devastated a medical college hostel soon after departing from the western city of Ahmedabad. Remarkably, only one passenger managed to survive the catastrophe, leaving 241 on the plane and 29 on the ground fatally wounded in one of India's most devastating aviation disasters in recent years.
Expert analysts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are collaboratively dissecting the crash with assistance from the U.K., the U.S., and Boeing officials.
Decoding the Black Boxes: The Key to Piecing Together the Puzzle
Amit Singh, a seasoned former pilot and aviation specialist, underscores the paramount importance of retrieving the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders, commonly known as black boxes. The cockpit voice recorder captures pilots' conversations, emergency alarms, and distress signals, while the digital flight data recorder stores data regarding engine and control settings. Both devices are designed to endure the harsh conditions of a crash.
"This data will illuminate everything," Singh declared, emphasizing that the technical specifics gleaned from the black boxes could be corroborated by the cockpit voice recorder, offering a comprehensive understanding of any communication between air traffic control and pilots preceding the calamity. India's aviation regulatory body revealed that the aircraft made a distress call before the crash.
Singh expressed that during the investigation, authorities will scrutinize CCTV footage of nearby areas and consult witnesses to zero in on the crash's root cause. Moreover, they will study the pilot's training records, the aircraft's total load, engine thrust issues, and the plane's performance in past situations and any reported problems.
Bracing for a Lengthy Investigation
Aurobindo Handa, former director general of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, asserted that investigators worldwide stick to a standard U.N.-mandated Manual of Accident Investigation – DOC 9756 – which outlines comprehensive procedures for determining the most probable cause of a crash.
Handa assumed that the investigation into the recent disaster would entail an extended process given the aircraft's severe damage. He also stressed the significance of assessing the recovered black boxes' condition since the heat generated by the crash could potentially exceed the black box's threshold for survival.
India's government established a high-level committee to scrutinize the factors contributing to the crash and concoct guidelines for preventing and handling aircraft emergencies in the future. This committee is anticipated to submit a preliminary report within three months.
Authorities have also initiated a thorough examination and additional maintenance checks on Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent any future mishaps. Air India possesses 33 Dreamliners in its inventory.
The crashed airplane was 12 years old. Boeing planes have faced safety concerns with other aircraft types. There are approximately 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliners worldwide, and this was the first deadly crash recorded in the model's 16 years of operation, according to experts.
Saaliq and Roy contribute to the Associated Press.
Additional Resources
Boeing confronts another crisis as the India plane crash serves as a testing ground
Remains recovered: Air India black box retrieved after the crash that caused the heartbreaking death toll
Medical professionals rally to save lives at the crash site after the Air India flight slammed into a medical campus
[1] Preliminary Findings from Black Box Data Analysis
[2] Air India chairman confirms the Boeing 787 had a clean service record before the crash
[3] Investigators focus on the emergency power system in the Air India crash investigation
[4] Call for Help: Air India's distress call prior to the crash reveals a grave situation
The black boxes, with their essential information on aircraft engine and control settings, will shed light on the cause of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner disaster. The retrieved data will be cross-referenced with cockpit voice recordings to provide a complete picture of the unfortunate event, including any communication between air traffic control and the pilots. In the wake of the incident, the government has established a high-level committee to investigate the crash's contributing factors and establish preventive measures, particularly for Air India's fleet of 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Investigators are also examining the condition of the recovered black boxes, keeping in mind that the heat generated by the crash could affect their survival threshold.
