Unrecoverable Black Box Hampers Investigation into Air India Crash

The search for the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft that crashed at Mangalore has entered its fourth day without success, despite the deployment of sonar detectors and avionics experts. The DFDR, a critical component in understanding the cause of the crash, remains untraceable, with officials considering a possible inquiry through local police officials to gather information from villagers who were present at the rescue operations. The investigation team, led by senior DGCA official Arun Kumar Chopra, is working to recover the cockpit voice recorder and a flight sensor, but the search for the DFDR has been particularly challenging due to the debris scattered across the crash site.

Key Takeaways:

• The digital flight data recorder (DFDR) of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft that crashed at Mangalore has not been recovered, despite extensive searches.
• Sonar detectors have been deployed to pick up signals emitted from the black box, but so far, no signals have been detected.
• Avionics experts have been part of the investigation team to help identify the DFDR or portions of it if it were to be found.
• The search area has been extended by 50 meters into the valley, and officials are considering interviewing local villagers who were part of the rescue operations.
• DGCA officials have speculated that the DFDR could have been taken away by local villagers or moved out from the crash site after being mistaken for something else.
• Boeing has asked the DGCA to preserve the remains of the aircraft for at least three years to study the cause and effect of the crash.
• A two-member team of US engineers from Boeing visited the crash site on Monday to assist in the investigation.
• The costs of analyzing and preserving the crash debris will be covered by the insurance of the aircraft.

Statistics:

• 124 different parameters are recorded by the DFDR to understand the final moments of the aircraft.
• 30 search personnel from the DGCA, Air India Express, the local fire force, and casual laborers have been deployed to search for the DFDR.
• 3 years: the amount of time Boeing has asked the DGCA to preserve the remains of the aircraft to study the cause and effect of the crash.
• 50 meters: the extension of the search area into the valley to look for the DFDR.

Sources:

• "DGCA to use sonar equipment to locate black box" by Johnson TA (The Indian Express Limited, distributed by Contify.com)
• "Boeing asks DGCA to preserve aircraft debris for three years" (The Indian Express Limited, distributed by Contify.com)