Investigators retrieved a cockpit audio recorder (CVR) from the crashed Air India flight. This is an important step in detecting last week's fatal accident.
The London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, the western Indians on Thursday. At least 270 people were killed, most of whom were killed by passengers.
CVR captures audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations, alarms, and ambient sounds.
Flight Data Recorder (FDR), which records important flight parameters such as altitude, speed and engine performance, was recovered from the debris on Friday.
Both the CVR and the FDR form together what is commonly known as a flat “black box.” This is an important tool in investigating air raids and helps experts reconstruct the final moments of the flight and determine the cause of the incident.
The Black Box is actually two bright orange devices, unlike its name. One is for CVR and the other for FDR – painted with reflective strips to facilitate recovery after crash. Both of these devices are designed to withstand crashes.
The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is led by teams from the US and UK, assisting in investigating the causes of the crash.
On Sunday, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials investigated the location of the plane crash.
“The AAIB has launched a detailed investigation and the US National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) is implementing parallel probes under international protocols because the aircraft are made in the USA,” the statement released Sunday said.
Indian media reports that Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials (USA) have also visited the site, citing the source.
Apart from that, the high-level committee, which was established by the Indian government to investigate the reasons behind the crash, is expected to hold its first meeting on Monday.
The committee will submit a preliminary report within three months, All India Radio said, and proposes a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOPS) to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As the investigation continues, the earthly families are still tackling mistrust and trauma.
Less than a minute after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, the AI171 flight collided with the accommodation of doctors at BJ Medical College and Civic Hospital.
All but 242 passengers and one of the crew were killed. Authorities are also trying to establish the number of people killed on the ground and continue the slow process of matching DNA samples to verify the identity of the victims.
Over the weekend, doctors said 270 bodies had been recovered from the crash site.
Dr. Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad's Municipal Hospital said on Monday that more than 90 victims were identified as being identified through DNA matching. He added that 47 identified have been sent to their families.
Among the victims identified are former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whose funeral will be held on Monday. Having had a political career for over 50 years, Rupani is placed to rest in Rajkot city with full state honors.
For many other families, the pain continues.
Authorities told the BBC that the identification process is slow and laborious as many bodies were burned badly in crashes and processed in small batches.
Mistry Zignesh was waiting for an update on Nie outside the hospital, but on Saturday he told the BBC that officials said it might take more time to hand over Nie's body as the body quest is still ongoing. He was previously told that his body would be handed over by Sunday, after 72 hours needed to complete the 72-hour DNA matching.
“How can we complete the DNA process by tomorrow when people are still missing? What if my nie's body is not found?
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