Mint primer | Air India crash: How is the Indian probe going?
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is analysing the black box of the crashed AI-171 Dreamliner, but reports suggest one of the devices may be sent abroad to recover crucial evidence. What’s going on? Mint explains the procedure and international practice.
What is a black box, why is it important?
Every aircraft is fitted with a “black box", a device that tracks key attributes of a flight. The black boxes mounted on board commercial flights comprise two devices. The first is the flight data recorder, or FDR, which records these attributes or “parameters", including a flight’s time and altitude for the total duration of a journey. The second is the cockpit voice recorder, or CVR. It records all sounds made in the cockpit, including what the pilots and the flight crew say, besides sounds made by equipment. The black boxes store their data in memory chips and can withstand extreme heat and water depths.
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How will the black box be investigated?
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), reporting to the ministry of civil aviation, has started a preliminary investigation of the crash, led by the director general. The AAIB team recovered the flight’s first black box set on 13 June, and the other set on 16 June. The AAIB has gathered all evidence, including debris from the crash. Now, it will draft technical reports, piecing together what led to the crash, based on all the evidence, including evidence from the black box. A final report must be accepted by the DG of civil aviation and then made public on the AAIB website.
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What’s the controversy around AI-171’s black boxes?
Some news outlets reported that India was planning to send the black boxes to the US for further analysis, suggesting that Indian facilities were unable to retrieve all the data from the devices. Civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu denied the claim. In April, Naidu had inaugurated a brand new “Black Box Lab" in New Delhi, a state-of-the-art facility that cost ₹9 crore.
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Is there a timeline to this investigation?
There is no timeline and minister Naidu told reporters the technical process will take its due course. The AAIB is yet to decide where the black boxes should be taken for data retrieval, the civil aviation ministry said last week. However, a high-level committee under the home secretary has promised to produce a report in three months, recommending long-term reforms to improve aviation safety in India. The Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 say a final report should be submitted to all concerned parties.
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Is this in line with international norms?
Not exactly. The International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) says a preliminary report should be submitted to it within 30 days of a crash. AAIB rules have no such deadline. India is an Icao signatory. Aviation safety expert Amit Singh said international rules mandate an independent chief investigator or judicial inquiry for a serious air accident. Instead, the Centre has appointed a high-level panel. Final air crash reports are tabled and made public as per Icao standards in Annex 13, but experts say Indian authorities often breach them.
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