Air India Boeing 787-8 Black Box May Be Sent to the US for Analysis

Investigation into Air India Flight AI171 Crash

The black box from the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, has sustained damage and may need to be sent to the United States for further data extraction. The final decision will be made by the Indian government. This black box, which contains two separate devices—the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR)—could be analyzed at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) headquarters in Washington, D.C. Sources indicate that if the data is sent abroad, Indian officials will accompany the equipment to ensure compliance with all protocols.

Details of the Crash Incident

The aircraft, which was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. At approximately 1:40 PM local time, the plane went down in a medical college hostel area in Ahmedabad's Meghani Nagar, resulting in a devastating fire. Out of the 242 individuals on board, only one passenger survived.

Importance of Black Box Data

The black box was recovered 28 hours after the accident. Despite its name, the device is painted bright orange to aid in locating it among wreckage. This particular aircraft, delivered in 2014, likely has a CVR that stores only two hours of audio, as it predates the 2021 mandate for 25 hours of cockpit recording. The CVR captures cockpit conversations, ambient sounds, air traffic control exchanges, and alert tones. Meanwhile, the FDR logs critical flight data, including altitude, airspeed, heading, and control surface inputs. Modern aircraft like the Boeing 787-8 can record thousands of parameters for over 25 hours.