Ahmedabad Plane Crash Tragedy: Here’s How the Black Box Will Help Uncover the Truth Behind the Mid-Air Disaster

In a tragic incident today in Ahmedabad an Air India Flight bound for London Gatwick crashed just minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft was carrying 242 people and due to technical fault it went down in the residential Meghani Nagar area after issuing distress Mayday call. The airplane lost radar contact at around 625 feet altitude.

While rescue efforts are charting the extent of casualties and survivors, investigations ae already focusing one crucial component and that aircraft’s Black Box.

In this article, we will explore what is black Box in Airplane, How it Works, and How it Helps in Determining the Real Cause Behind any Air Craft Crisis.

What is a Black Box?

Black Box is one of the most crucial components of any aircraft. This box refers to two essential flight recorders including the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). These names seem to be ominous but they are actually painted bright orange for visibility.

Talking about Flight Data Recorder (FDR), it logs critical flight parameters such as altitude, speed, and control inputs. However, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) is made to capture cockpit sounds, radio communications, and pilot conversations.

Both these components are designed to tackle robust and fire-resistant shells, survive high impact crashes, and intense heat. They are extremely important items post crash investigations.

How Black Box Works:

Both the recorders, FDR and CVR is made to contain hardened data storage unit inside a protective housing. This storage unit is capable of handling temperatures up to 1100 degree celcius and impacts of up to 3400 g. In addition, they are also able to handle deep sea pressure and hence ensures that the critical data remains intact.

After Ahmedabad Plane Crash, the search team will rely on this Black Box. The box contains an underwater locator that emits an ultrasonic ping and hence it guides them to the wreckage. As soon as the black box is recovered, specialists extract and analyze the data in controlled labs.

This playback of the event reveals what happened and sequence of events leading up to the crash. From pilot actions to mechanical performances, or environmental conditions, this black box helps in investigating the root cause and formulating the future safety.