Air India black box 'heavily damaged'; data unextractable
What's the story
The black box of the crashed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be sent to the United States for analysis, a source told The Economic Times.
The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) was found two days after the crash, but it suffered heavy external damage due to a post-crash fire, making data extraction in India impossible.
The data will reportedly be extracted at the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Washington laboratory and shared with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Team
AAIB had established laboratory in Delhi last year
"While AAIB had established a laboratory at its headquarters in Delhi last year, it is yet to be properly equipped to extract data from recorders which have sustained heavy damage."
"The NTSB team will carry them to their lab under protection and supervision from Indian officials to ensure that proper protocols are followed," a person close to the matter told ET.
International collaboration
UK also involved in investigation
According to NDTV sources, if the black box is sent to the US, a team of Indian officials will accompany it to ensure that all protocols are followed.
The black box, which comprises two units—the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR)—is designed to survive extreme conditions during a crash.
The FDR records over 80 different types of information, including speed, altitude, direction, pilot actions, and performance of important systems.
Report
UK team also involved in probe
The CVR, on the other hand, captures radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises, for up to 25 hours.
The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch is also involved in the probe, as 53 British citizens were among the victims.
The aircraft crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 onboard, with one survivor, and 33 people on the ground.
Technical analysis
Preliminary report on findings due in 1 month
The time required to extract data from the damaged recorder could range from two days to months, depending on the extent of damage.
Investigators are looking into several possibilities, such as whether the flaps were properly extended, why landing gear was deployed, and possible electronic failure or fuel contamination.
The AAIB has one month to release a preliminary report on its findings.
Fleet inspection
Authorities inspecting Air India's fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners
In the wake of this tragedy, authorities have started inspecting and conducting additional maintenance checks on Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The crashed aircraft was 12 years old and part of a fleet of 33 Dreamliners operated by Air India.
This was the first deadly crash involving a Dreamliner in its 16-year operation history.