The discovery of data from the black box is a major breakthrough in the investigation of the Air India plane accident that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12th. This data, downloaded at the AAIB lab, marks significant progress in determining the true cause of the accident.
Air India Plane Crash: The Air India plane accident at Ahmedabad airport on June 12th shocked the entire nation. Following the accident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation initiated an investigation, given the seriousness of the incident. While there was no major loss of life or property in the accident, the role of the black box was considered crucial in understanding aspects such as technical faults or human error.
Technical Success in Black Box Investigation
Investigators recovered the aircraft's black box immediately after the incident. This accelerated the investigation, and on June 24th, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) was safely extracted. The next day, on June 25th, the memory module was also accessed, and its data was successfully downloaded at the AAIB lab. This is considered a significant achievement because investigators can now access all the technical details related to the aircraft's operation at the time of the accident.
Why Black Box Data is Important
Every commercial aircraft has a black box, which consists of two main parts – the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The FDR records over 80 parameters, such as the aircraft's altitude, speed, direction, and engine performance. The CVR, on the other hand, records the conversations of pilots and co-pilots, communications with air traffic control, and other sounds from the cockpit.
The black box is designed to withstand fire, water, and impacts during an accident. The memory chips within it are capable of securely storing precise information about the events at the time of the accident.
Data to Reveal the Causes Behind the Accident
The AAIB has confirmed that the analysis of the data from the FDR and CVR has now begun. This process is carried out with utmost care because it reveals which technical procedures were underway in the aircraft at any given time, how the pilot responded, and whether any equipment malfunctioned. This will help determine whether the accident was caused by a technical fault or a human error.
Important Steps for Safety Improvements
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has stated that the black box data will not only reveal the cause of this accident but will also enable steps to be taken to prevent such accidents in the future. If a fault is found in any system, a technical solution will be developed. Additionally, if any human behavioral error is identified, necessary changes will be made to pilot training, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), and flight audits.
