The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has sought foreign help to crack the black box of the Learjet aeroplane involved in the Baramati crash, sources have said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has sought foreign help to crack the black box of the Learjet aeroplane involved in the Baramati crash that claimed the life of then-Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, sources have told CNN-News 18.
A Learjet 45 business aeroplane on January 28 crashed at Baramati near Pune in Maharashtra, killing Ajit along with two co-passengers and two crew members.
Sources said that both the components of the black box —digital flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR)— were exposed to intense heat for a prolonged period during the accident. They said these devices were damaged as a result.
Sources said the authorities managed to successfully retrieve the data of DFDR, they have not had luck with the CVR.
To crack the CVR as part of the investigation, the authorities have sought specialised technical assistance from the accredited representative of the recorder’s country of manufacture to support data recovery efforts, according to sources.
As the CVR was made by Honeywell, an American aerospace company, it is understood that the AAIB has reached out to the United States for assistance.
While the cause of the accident is under investigation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) previously said that pilots had trouble spotting the runway at the Baramati airfield during the descent, according to The Times of India.
The DGCA said that pilots could not spot the runway during their first approach to land and they did a go-around and returned for a second attempt. It said that pilots did not make any mayday call before the crash.
What are FDRs and CVRs that investigators are focussing on?
Even as it’s commonly called a ‘black box’, it comprises of two devices called digital flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
The CVR records all sound that emanates in the cockpit. It includes communication between pilots, sounds of instruments, click of switches, warning sounds, etc. These voices are recorded by several microphones installed in a cockpit.
These sounds, particularly sounds of instruments, any warnings, and conversation between pilots, are important for investigators as they help them understand what went wrong.
The FDR stores the entire operating data of the aeroplane. The FDR records several parameters throughout the journey such as time, altitude, speed, fuel, etc, with sensors installed in the aeroplane.
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