Search still on for Air India aircraft’s black box

MANGALORE - The search for the digital cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder of the ill-fated Air India aircraft that crashed here Saturday was still on, more than 24 hours after the disaster.

Together called the black box, the equipment gives crucial inputs to investigators on the causes of air mishaps. A sturdy system the size of shoe boxes, it can withstand extreme temperatures.

It records the conversations inside the cockpit and those with the air traffic controllers, among its other uses, giving vital clues to the cause of any air disaster.

A team of officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) joined the search at the crash site, police said here.

“Yes, the search for the recorders is still on. Our team, along with firefighters, is looking for it. It’s just a matter of time before we locate it,” a DGCA official said.

As many as 158 people were killed when a packed Air India Express flight from Dubai crashed Saturday morning while landing at the Mangalore airport, breaking into pieces and falling into a deep gorge in balls of fire.

Eight passengers miraculously survived in one of India’s worst aviation disasters.

There was no distress call from pilot Z. Glusica, a British national of Serbian origin who had flown in and out of Mangalore at least 19 times and received due landing clearance four miles from touchdown at the hilltop airport at Bajpe, about 20 km from here and 350 km from Bangalore.