Ahmedabad crash | Damaged Air India black box being sent to US for data retrieval: Report
India's AAIB lacks equipment for damaged recorders; UK to join probe as 53 British citizens died in the crash
The black box of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad was recovered two days after the crash, but it has reportedly sustained heavy external damage, and India is sending the recorder to the US for analysis.
The damage to the recorder makes it impossible to extract data in India, according to a source quoted by The Economic Times.
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It is said that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington will access the data from the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and then share the findings with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
According to the report, the AAIB does not have the proper equipment in its laboratory in Delhi to extract data from badly-damaged recorders. Indian officials will follow proper protocols in supervising and providing protection as the black box is taken to Washington by the NTSB team.
UK to join probe
Since 53 British citizens also died in the crash, the United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch will join the investigation.
With the authorities still not clear about what caused the plane to crash, the data that can be obtained from the black box attains great importance. The flight data recorder typically gives information about several technical issues during the flight like altitude, airspeed, and timing.
Also Read: What Is a black box, and why it holds key to Ahmedabad air crash probe
Experts say that depending on the extent of damage to the black box, the process of extracting the data could take anywhere from two days to months. They say that the electronic circuit will have to be examined, and the memory board with the chip will have to be removed to prevent further damage.
In the meantime, the authorities have been carrying out inspections of Air India’s fleet of 33 Dreamliners, and the airline is ensuring additional maintenance and checks of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent any future incidents.