AAIB yet to decide where AI black box will be decoded

20 Jun 2025 GS 2 Governance
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The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is yet to decide whether the black box data from the recent Air India Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad (June 2025) will be decoded in India or abroad. The decision will be made after assessing technical, safety, and security aspects, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

  • Two black box sets (each with a Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder) were recovered from the crash site on June 13 and June 16, as the Boeing 787-8 model carries two for redundancy — one in the nose and another in the tail.

  • India inaugurated a ₹9 crore black box decoding lab in April 2025, but it is still unclear whether it will be used for decoding the current data.

  • During the Kozhikode crash investigation (August 2020), the black box was sent to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board as India did not have a dedicated lab at the time.

Investigation Reports:

  • A preliminary report is expected, but there’s no timeline mandated under Indian rules.

  • ICAO Annex 13 suggests that preliminary reports should be issued within 30 days, but Indian law — under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 — does not mandate this.

  • The 2017 Rules define a preliminary report as a communication tool for early-stage findings, mainly to classify the event and plan for detailed investigation.

  • After the Kozhikode crash, only the final report was published within a year; no preliminary report was released due to concerns it might mislead public opinion if early findings changed later.

Black Box:

The Boeing 787 aircraft is equipped with two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) — one at the front and one at the rear — as a redundancy measure in case one unit is damaged or lost. Each EAFR combines the functions of:

  • Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR): Records detailed operational parameters of the aircraft.

  • Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR): Captures flight crew voices, cockpit sounds (e.g., engine noise, alarms, gear movements), and communications with air traffic control, ground crew, or cabin crew.


UPSC Prelims Mcq:

Q. With reference to the black box systems used in modern commercial aircraft like the Boeing 787, consider the following statements:

  1. Each Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) integrates both cockpit voice and flight data recording functions into a single unit.

  2. Regulations require only one EAFR unit to be installed on wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787.

  3. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) records not only pilot conversations but also ambient cockpit sounds such as engine noise and warning alarms.

  4. Data from the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) includes parameters related to aircraft performance, such as altitude, airspeed, and control surface positions.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1, 3, and 4 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, and 4 only

Answer: B. 1, 3, and 4 only

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct: The EAFR combines both CVR and DFDR functions.

  • Statement 2 is incorrect: Regulations require two EAFRs (front and rear) for redundancy.

  • Statement 3 is correct: CVR records voices and ambient cockpit sounds like alarms and engine noise.

  • Statement 4 is correct: DFDR captures multiple operational parameters like altitude, airspeed, etc.



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