What's in the Black Box? Revealing the Secrets of Airplane Crash Investigations

The recorder usually shows various data from the beginning of the flight, including the takeoff from the runway. Since it was designed to be a safety measure, most commercial planes are required to have one.

What is in the black box?

The flight data recorder is in charge of capturing data from the plane's electronic systems, such as the autopilot. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, this information is extremely valuable in crash investigations. The NTSB's website notes that it can save investigators more than a thousand hours of valuable data every year. The cockpit voice recorder captures what is heard in the cockpit, which can tell investigators about the pilots' and other passengers' conversations before the plane crashed. However, investigators note that these recordings can only provide information about what was said up to 30 minutes before the crash. Even though black boxes come in handy when investigating airplane crashes, they have been known to fail.

Flight Data Recorder

The flight data recorder sends crucial information about the plane's flight and condition to the ground when it crashes. It also stores audio recordings of the pilot's conversations and voice transmissions. In most crashes, the flight data recorder is not found. But this might be the case for flight MH370, whose data recorder was not recovered. The reason for the crash of Flight MH370 remains unknown. Cockpit Voice Recorder The cockpit voice recorder plays an important role in explaining the events of a plane crash. It not only captures and records the pilot's conversations but also keeps track of crucial events during the flight. In Flight MH370, this device was recovered but not activated.

Cockpit Voice Recorder

This device records all of the sounds that the pilot makes while on board the aircraft. This allows the investigator to determine exactly what the pilot was doing while the plane was in flight. The voice recorder was created in the 1950s and was initially made of two microphones. Later, the manufacturer used the term "voice recorder" to represent the entire instrument panel that is mounted above the seats of the cockpit. Unlike the flight data recorder, which uses multiple cables and large readout screens, the cockpit voice recorder's only functionality is audio recordings. There are many options for what is recorded on the cockpit voice recorder. In commercial aircraft, this device is very standard and can record for 30 seconds at a time.

How does this information help investigators?

As the name implies, the flight data recorder gathers data from the plane's flight instruments. It contains information on the plane's speed, altitude, and where the plane is in relation to other aircraft, as well as information about how much fuel the plane has. This information can be crucial in determining if the plane ran out of fuel or if an explosion took place, which also can cause the plane to lose control. The information gathered by the flight data recorder can also be used to help identify the cause of the crash. On the other hand, the cockpit voice recorder gathers information from the cockpit. This information includes things like conversations between the pilots and audio from the cockpit, such as the sound of a plane crashing or a cry for help.

Why were these two pieces of equipment installed?

Before the days of transponders and GPS, information transmitted from an aircraft could not be tracked, recorded, or traced. Flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders were installed to help investigate and reconstruct the steps taken by pilots in the moments before the crash, helping to determine the cause of the crash. There are two types of recorders, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. The flight data recorder captures a wide range of critical information about the flight: engine rpm, height, speed, navigation information, navigation databases and more. The cockpit voice recorder captures the conversations of pilots in the cockpit, monitoring for deviations from normal operation and triggering the pilot's actions.

What are the limitations of these devices?

Flight data recorders gather information about what happens inside a plane while it's in flight. The information may include the plane's position, airspeed, altitude, engine status and even basic passenger information such as gender, age, destination, seat number, name, and credit card information. Although the details of the data will not always be highly detailed, it is the most detailed information investigators can hope for, given that the flight data recorder's vital components are made of very sturdy materials and cannot easily be replaced after a crash. The voice recorders contain the audio from the cockpit in real-time, but it is limited to the time before impact, due to the limitations of the equipment on board the plane.

The Future of Airplane Crash Investigations

A few decades ago, investigators didn't have the technology they have today. Today, aircraft accident investigators are capable of retrieving information from the wreckage faster and easier. With all of the advancements that have been made over the last few decades, aircraft accident investigators can now collect data from the wreckage in seconds- it's a very fast process that almost takes the investigators out of the crash site. In most cases, the cockpit voice recorder data is more accurate than that from the flight data recorder. The Systems That Are Used to Track Planes The main purpose of aircraft crash investigators is to bring to light all of the systems that were used on the plane in order to figure out how the crash occurred and why.

The Flight Data Recorder

One of the major pieces of equipment on a plane, the flight data recorder records various data regarding the plane's position, speed, altitude, and so on. This data is recorded by onboard computers, and when it is retrieved and analyzed, it's possible to determine what the plane was doing, where it was going, and even where it was coming from. While the data is collected by the plane's computer, it is actually transmitted via satellite to the NTSB headquarters in Washington, DC.

Flight Data Recorders Can Have A Formative Effect On A Crash Investigation

Conclusion

The investigators of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 went to work immediately, and the day after the crash the recovered cockpit voice recorder was installed in the NTSB headquarters. Investigators immediately started listening, hoping to hear what happened in the final moments of the plane's flight. The audio is not what anyone would consider comforting to passengers. A plane crash investigation can take up to two months. During that time, investigators plan to listen to and transcribe the final moments of the flight. In the beginning, audio is fairly minimal, with much of it consisting of speech and engine noises. In some cases, investigators have even been able to hear the passenger chattering as the plane's engines are being shut down.

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