What is a black box? Recorder from crashed Air India flight found in wreckage
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was en-route to London Gatwick when it crashed into buildings shortly after take-off last Thursday.
The remaining black box has been recovered from the wreckage of the downed Air India flight in Ahmedabad.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was found at the crash site early on Monday. The other black box, the flight data recorder (FDR), was retrieved by rescue workers on Friday.
Both will be critical in helping investigators work out what caused the tragedy, which left at least 279 people dead.
What is a black box?
The black boxes are a pair of data recorders that store important in-flight information – similar to a black box in a car – and are usually stored in the tail section of commercial jets.
That name is a bit misleading, as they actually have bright orange outer casings. These are extremely tough to help survive the violent forces and intense fires that a plane crash can involve.
The CVR records audio from the flight deck, including what was said by the pilots. This allows investigators to better understand what decisions were made and the general atmosphere in the cockpit.
The FDR holds vital data about the aircraft’s performance, such as its altitude and airspeed. It shows if the plane’s internal systems were working properly or whether a failure occurred.
Each is also equipped with a beacon that makes it easier from them to be located.
Black boxes have been mandatory on all UK-registered planes since the mid-1960s and are in near-universal use on planes, including the 787.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India is leading the probe into the disaster. The UK and the US have both sent teams of investigators to assist them.
A British passenger was the sole survivor from those onboard the plane. At least 38 people on the ground were also killed.
Families of the victims have started to hold funerals, and several bodies have already been repatriated back to the UK.
It is the deadliest air crash since 2014, when a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists, killing 298 people.