Flight data recorder of crashed Air India flight found

MANGALORE - The digital flight data recorder, a part of the black box, of the Air India Express plane that crashed killing 158 people was found Tuesday after three days of intensive search operations.

A relieved search team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and local police displayed the FDR, which was black due to fire and smoke.

They did not give the exact location of where the device was found. It will provide clues for possible causes of the worst air disaster in over a decade and will be taken to Delhi for analysis.

The team late Sunday recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a part of the black box containing the digital flight data acquisition unit (DFDAU).

In aviation parlance, black box is a loose term used for two pieces of equipment - the digital cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder - that gives crucial inputs to investigators on causes of air accidents.

One device digitally records all conversations inside the cockpit and those with the air traffic controllers. The other has the history of the aircraft’s flight details, such as acceleration, engine thrust, airspeed, altitude, rudder position, which are also vital for crash probes.

The CVR of the crashed plane has been affected by fire but it is expected to yield the desired information, according to a DGCA statement.

Though the DFDAU, a parallel unit of the digital flight data recorder that records flight parameter for shorter duration has also been recovered, search for the latter is continuing, the statement said.

“Analysis of CVR and flight data will be conducted in the next fortnight. Similarly, analysis of records pertaining to the crash will take a couple of weeks,” a probe official told IANS.

Flight IX 812 burst into flames after falling over a cliff early Saturday and most of the 158 victims, including 19 children and four infants, were burnt to death. The Boeing overshot the runway while landing at Bajpe airport, about 20 km from here.

All six crew members of the flight also perished in the disaster. Eight passengers survived and are being treated for their injuries in various hospitals in the city.

Police said 22 bodies are yet to be identified and DNA tests will be conducted. Forensic experts from Hyderabad have taken samples necessary for the DNA test from family members. Results of the tests will be known in about a week.