After the deadly crash of Air India Flight 171 off the coast of Ahmedabad, investigators were able to recover the plane’s black box, a major milestone toward learning what failed. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was headed to London, crashed just after taking off, killing more than 270 people on board.
The black box, consisting of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), is being sent to a specialized aviation laboratory where forensic experts will study the last few minutes of the aircraft. Specialists will be looking at pilot dialogue, engine behavior, altitude fluctuation, and any automatic system warnings that would have been generated prior to impact.
Aviation experts reveal initial lines of investigation will involve potential technical malfunctions, pilot error, and whether weather or outside obstructions were a factor. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also requested the assistance of Boeing in the technical decoding, as the model aircraft had faced questioning over safety design and manufacturing excellence in the past.
While initial results are anticipated in weeks, a detailed report could be months. Relatives of the passengers and the international flight community are anticipating that the information will provide not only answers — but also prevent tragedies in the future. Investigators continue to work until then, trying to reconstruct the last moments of Flight 171.
