E-Paper
Air India crash report: 49 hours of raw data retrieved from black box using US ‘Golden Chassis’
Data from the forward EAFR was extracted at the AAIB lab in New Delhi on June 24. The Crash Protection Module was found intact and in good condition.
A ‘Golden Chassis’ sourced from the United States enabled the successful download of 49 hours of flight data from one of the black boxes of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, claiming 260 lives.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had retrieved the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs), commonly referred to as black boxes, and transported them to New Delhi on June 24.
Typically, when flight recorders are damaged in an accident, investigators rely on a Golden Chassis—an identical recording unit—and compatible download cables sourced from other international agencies to extract data.
In this case, the AAIB confirmed on Saturday that the ‘Golden Chassis’ and the necessary download cables to access data from the EAFR were provided by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The data extraction from the forward EAFR was attempted at the AAIB laboratory in New Delhi on June 24. Investigators found the Crash Protection Module (CPM) intact and in good condition.
“The CPM was mounted on the Golden Chassis, and the raw data was downloaded from the EAFR. The downloaded flight data contained approximately 49 hours of flight data and 6 flights, including the event flight,” AAIB said in its preliminary probe report on the crash.
“The recovered audio was two hours in length and captured the event. Initial Analysis of the recorded audio and flight data has been done,” the report added.
The report noted that the aft EAFR had suffered significant damage and could not be accessed using standard procedures. Investigators opened the CPM to inspect the memory card but found the damage to be extensive.
The investigation is being led by Sanjay Kumar Singh, who has been appointed as the investigator-in-charge. Jasbir Singh Larhga is serving as the chief investigator. The investigation team also includes Vipin Venu Varakoth, Veeraragavan K, and Vaishnav Vijayakumar.
To support the technical and operational aspects of the probe, the AAIB has roped in experienced pilots, engineers, aviation medicine specialists, aviation psychologists, and flight recorder experts as subject matter specialists.
With PTI inputs
