That a part of an airplane can resist a plane crash of any magnitude may seem implausible to us. Aircraft black boxes , however, are capable not only of staying in good condition, but also of recording information useful for future research.
Black boxes are the first item to look for when registering a plane crash. They help us to have a more detailed image of the tragedy and can become decisive in the decoding of the facts. These are two fully armored titanium and steel boxes that store recordings on solid state discs. They weigh approximately 4.5 kilograms and are rectangular in shape; they are usually located at the rear of the aircraft.
We speak of black boxes in the plural because international air legislation decrees that it is mandatory to carry two (in the case of commercial flights). Both record data that will be useful in later investigations, and may become conclusive. They provide us with vital information to reconstruct the sequence of events prior to an accident, which is why on many occasions they clarify how and why the misfortune occurred.
Contrary to what the name suggests, the black boxes are orange. In this way they are more visible and are more easily located on any surface.
Black box recordings are protected by the so -called Crash-Survivable Memory Unit (CSMU) , which makes them virtually impregnable artifacts. In addition, they incorporate a beacon that helps to track the device , since it emits a geolocation signal for about 90 days.
As can be expected, the production cost of these devices is high, since they are made to withstand any type of adverse condition. Before being marketed, black boxes must pass a series of tests that prove their resistance to the following parameters: impacts, penetrations, static crushing, fire and extreme temperatures, and depth and immersion. Likewise, its periodic review is of strict obligation.
The two black boxes that incorporate the airplanes are the following:
- Flight Data Recorder (FDR 🙂 the flight data recorder records all those technical parameters that come with the information: altitude, heading, airspeed, flap position, engine performance, pressure, etc. Its storage capacity is a total of twenty-five hours.
- Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR): The cockpit voice recorder collects all the sound that is produced in the aircraft cockpit. Thanks to it, we can have knowledge of whether an emergency alarm or acoustic signal has occurred, if there was communication with the control tower, if there was an incident or third person in the cockpit, if the pilots were aware or, without going any further, listen to the conversations that the pilots had in the moments before the accident. Record the last two hours before the accident.
Technological breakthroughs allow modern aircraft have equipment of high – level instruments. Among them are the black boxes , thanks to the information from which we can reconstruct the sequence of events prior to a plane crash.
