Aviation expert explains why we haven’t seen any data from Air India crash as investigators look into ‘sabotage’ theory
A Navy veteran and airline pilot known online as Captain Steeeve has explained why there has been a delay in retrieving data from the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed on June 12.
More than 250 people died from the crash which took place shortly after the Air India plane left Ahmedabad airport, in western India, on a journey bound for London, UK.
The plane, which was carrying 242 people, was only in the air for around 30 seconds, during which time it struggled to gain altitude before it crashed back down in a local neighborhood, killing all but one on board.
An investigation into the crash has been launched by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with Aurobindo Handa, former director general of the bureau, telling Sky News that data recorders known as black boxes were crucial for investigators.
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However, more two weeks on from the crash, data is yet to be shared from the recorders.
What information is stored on a black box?
Black boxes, officially known as Digital Flight Data Recorders (DFDR), have two components which could be key for offering insight into what happened on June 12.
One element is the flight data recorder, which tracks things like altitude, airspeed, and the status of controls.
Another element is the cockpit voice recorder, which helps keep track of conversations pilots had amid the emergency.
Where is the crash data?
Though the retrieval of the black boxes from the Air India flight was made more complicated due to the damage done to the plane, they have since been collected by investigators for analysis.
As for the delay in sharing the findings, Captain Steeeve explained that damage to the black boxes has further hindered investigators' ability to retrieve the data they contain, saying: "If you got a flight data recorder that's not damaged at all you can simply plug a cord into it hook it up to a laptop and retrieve the data. It gets much more complicated when they're damaged.
"And so clearly with these they couldn't just plug into them and retrieve the data. So now you've got to get the box physically out of the airplane... And then you got to take that thing and you've got to get it someplace where somebody can interpret it."
The black boxes are now in Delhi in India, where multiple agencies working on the case have had to come together to analyze the data.
How will authorities retrieve the data?
Captain Steeeve stressed that black boxes are 'completely sealed', meaning experts have to 'cut into' the box while trying to avoid any further damage.
"You have to have the right precision equipment to do that," he said, adding: "That's got to get sent over there [to Delhi]."
Once the data has been collected from the motherboards in the black boxes, it has to be put into a working recorder - a process which 'takes time' to avoid any information being lost, Captain Steeeve said.
Once the data is readily available, investigators then have to interpret it - a process made more complicated by the fact that the plane was only in the air for a very short period of time.
Captain Steeeve said: "Since [issues] happened so close to one another it's almost like a tangled ball of yarn. It can be straightened out, it can be undone but it's much more complicated than a long string of yarn that has a couple of knots in it...
"That's why it's taken so long up to this point and it may take much longer for them to do it and to do it properly. If I'm leading that investigation I want to make sure that we get the proper answers, the correct answers, before we go to the public."
What is the 'sabotage' theory surrounding the crash?
As the investigation continues, India’s aviation minister has confirmed that it is considering whether there may have been sabotage involved in the crash, rather than an accidental issue.
Murlidhar Mohol, the minister of state for civil aviation, said: "It was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB has begun a full investigation into it... It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage.
“The CCTV footage are being reviewed and all angles are being assessed... several agencies are working on it."
Mohol described the events surrounding the crash as 'rare', noting that both engines have never previously failed at the same time.
"Once the (probe) report comes, we will be able to ascertain if it was an engine problem or fuel supply issue or why both the engines had stopped functioning,” he explained.
Where is the investigation up to now?
On Sunday (June 29), India's civil aviation ministry confirmed that a team led by India's AAIB has started looking at the data, with support from the U.S. National Transport Safety Board.
The ministry added: "These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences."
Mohol has said a report would be released in three months.
Topics: Air India, India, Technology, World News
Emily Brown