India is expected to send the black box from the ill-fated Air India AI 171 flight to the United States for data recovery, following extensive damage sustained in the crash that claimed 274 lives. According to an Economic Times report, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) will be sent to the National Safety Transport Board (NTSB) lab in Washington, as India currently lacks the facilities to extract data from black boxes exposed to such high-intensity heat and impact.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is handling the investigation into the Ahmedabad crash, will receive the final report after the US lab completes the extraction and analysis. The time required for data recovery could span days to months, depending on the extent of the damage.
Black Box Crucial to Understanding AI 171 Tragedy
The London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel building in Ahmedabad just seconds after takeoff, killing 241 passengers and crew on board, along with over two dozen individuals on the ground. The impact and resulting fire generated temperatures estimated to have reached 1,000 degrees Celsius, damaging the aircraft’s components, including the black box.
Despite being engineered to survive extreme conditions, both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) recovered two days after the incident showed signs of severe heat exposure.
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Experts say decoding the black box is vital to reconstructing the aircraft’s final moments. The CVR captures cockpit audio, including pilot discussions and alerts, while the FDR logs technical flight parameters — together forming the full black box system.
Although the precise cause of the crash remains unknown, aviation expert and former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner suggested a dual engine failure as a possible reason. He noted that the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — typically triggered by loss of engine power — shortly after takeoff pointed to such a failure.
The AAIB has been given three months to complete the investigation.
