The Ahmedabad-London flight crashed on June 12. Out of 242 people, 241 passengers died, and an additional 33 on the ground, making it 274 casualties. The Black Box, Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Air India aircraft, which lost thrust 36 seconds after takeoff and crashed into residential buildings, was recovered on Monday. Earlier, the rescue and search team had found the Flight Data Recorder, also called FDR.
What Happened To Flight AI-171?
💔#AirIndia #PlaneCrash #AhmedabadPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/AhZ4qzCsHQ
— Entertales (@Entertales) June 12, 2025
Data from the CVR and FDR — widely known as ‘black boxes,’ but painted bright orange to help locate them among debris — should allow investigators to determine what happened to flight AI-171 shortly after it took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport at 1:39 p.m. The administration has started a thorough investigation into the crash.
Since the aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was manufactured in the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States is also conducting a parallel inquiry. The Boeing specialists are also in India to assist the investigation.
What Is A Black Box That Has FDR And CVR?
As the name implies, a CVR captures audio from inside the aircraft’s cockpit. Aural alarms, control motions, switch activations, engine noises, and airflow noises are examples of ambient noise that may offer hints as to why a plane, in this case, the Air India AI-171, may have crashed. It also includes conversations between the pilots and other crew members. Also, it captures and saves audio signals from the pilots’ headsets and microphones, allowing crash investigators to hear their interactions with air traffic controllers, or ATCs.
Modern CVRs may record (in a loop) up to 25 hours of audio signals, according to SKYbrary, an electronic repository of safety knowledge about all elements of aviation and aviation safety. This will allow extensive information collection on long-haul flights. In 2015, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency passed the 25-hour rule, which was later accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2016.
But there is a warning. For aircraft constructed after January 1, 2021, the 25-hour rule applies. Additionally, Flightradar24, a service that tracks flights, reports that the crashed AI-171, registered VT-ANB, was shipped to Air India in January 2014. The majority of commonly used commercial aircraft CVRs are only recorded for two hours at a time. Before that, CVRs could only record for 30 Minutes.
However, since the aircraft was in the air for less than a minute, that shouldn’t be an issue for the investigators of the AI-171 disaster. A hostel bears the brunt of the hit as the plane fails to gain altitude and crashes into residential buildings that border the airport, according to horrifying footage.
The term “Digital Voice and Data Recorder,” or “DVDR,” refers to more recent CVR versions that capture important flight parameters like altitude, airspeed, and pilot control inputs.
A more conventional CVR often consists of a small, bright orange metal box with a rectangular protrusion on one side and a cylindrical one on the other. They can weigh up to 10 kg and measure around 6 inches high, 5 inches broad, and 13 inches deep.
How Flight Data Recorders Help In Accident Investigations?
The FDR logs important flying parameters on aircraft where the two are independent equipment. There are minor differences between types, and modern FDRs may record from thousands of data points and systems inputs by the pilot or the aircraft itself. However, to correlate data from the CVR, all will capture radio transmissions as well as several required data points. Among the required data points are:
- Altitude of pressure
- Airspeed indication
- Magnetic Heading
- Normal speeding up
- Microphone Keying
In radio communications, “keying the microphones” refers to the act of activating the transmitter to send a message. This is typically done by pressing a “push-to-talk” (PTT) button on the control column or yoke. Investigators can even reconstruct the flight route of a crashed aircraft with the use of all the data, enabling them to pinpoint the exact cause of the incident.
The FDR and the CVR are about the same size and weight, and both can record continuously for 25 hours. The FDR, which is also painted bright orange, resembles a tiny gas cylinder fastened to a huge rectangular box.
Where Are The FDR And CVR Located In An Aircraft?
The FDR and CVR are kept inside the plane’s tail portion. This region is thought to sustain the least amount of damage in a crash, thus increasing the possibility of recovering all flight data.
These boxes — more specifically, the part that holds the recorded data — are made to withstand fire and high-speed impacts. However, they can be destroyed and are not unbreakable.
Additionally, each generates a radio signal that investigators can follow in the event of a crash. This signal is valid for 30 days and can also be located if the box is submerged.
What Happened During The Final Moments Of AI171?
On Thursday afternoon, an Air India flight Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick, crashed, killing many on board, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew members, and only one person — Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British Indian male sitting in seat 11A — survived.
The Air India aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar area. Reports state that the plane crashed into residential sections near BJ Medical College. The Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner (Flight AI171) took off from Runway 23 at 1:39 p.m. IST and issued a distress mayday call but lost altitude and control within seconds.
“Mayday! Mayday!” The last words of Captain Sabharwal were, “Thrust not achieved.” Ahmedabad ATC attempted to reach the flight right away but received no answer. A few seconds later, the plane struck BJ Medical College and other structures in the Meghani Nagar neighborhood.
Although the cause has not yet been confirmed, the first possibilities included bird strikes in both engines, a significant hydraulic or electronic failure, or a flap error. The CVR and FDR data will be crucial in determining the exact cause of flight AI-171.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | X |
Youtube | Pinterest | Google News |
Entertales is on YouTube; click here to subscribe for the latest videos and updates.
