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© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Graphic shows simple explanation of data that a flight data recorder can reveal.
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AVIATION

Black box explainer

By Duncan Mil

May 25, 2016 - Data from an aircraft’s so-called “black boxes” are used to generate computer video reconstructions of flight so that accident investigators can visualise how a plane was handling before a crash.

What is a black box?

Cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs) -- so-called “black boxes” -- are about the size of a shoe box, weigh around 10kg, and are bright orange.

The FDR records many different operating functions of a plane, such as time, altitude, airspeed and direction. FDRs can monitor data from around 3,000 sensors located around the aircraft, such as the movement of individual flaps on the wings, auto-pilot and fuel gauges.

While the FDR is the best tool in an accident investigator’s box, even the cockpit voice recorder can yield a wealth of data beyond just recording the pilot’s voices. For example, flight-deck sounds can reveal engine performance, stall warnings and other emergency alerts.

Each black box carries an Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB) which transmits a ping, activated by immersion in water, in the aftermath of a plane crash at sea. The signal can be picked up by a microphone and a signal analyser from a depth as great as 4,250m (14,000ft) for up to 30 days.

All flight data recorders must survive extreme tests, including exposure to a 1,110°C fire for an hour and 260°C heat for 10 hours, be able to operate between -55° to +70°C and store a minimum of 25 hours of flight data.

The data stored in the flash memory of each black box enable Air Crash Investigators to generate computer video reconstructions of flights so that they can visualise how a plane was handling in the moments before a crash.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 25/05/2016; STORY: Graphic News
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