Flight Recorders and the Crash of Air France 447
The crash of Air France 447 is a reminder to all who fly of how air safety is often taken for granted. In that light, the following background information about the crash and "black boxes" is provided by the International Air Passenger Association (IAPA).
Aircraft voice and data recorders, traditionally known as "black boxes," have yielded many clues to prior disasters. They are actually orange, not black, and are made to withstand the severe forces and intense fires that result from crashes. Many fliers are bewildered at the difficulty in retrieving these devices when an airplane is lost at sea.
The recent tragedy of Air France 447 reminds us of how much we take the safety of air travel for granted. Tens of millions of us travel around the world each year without incident. For most of us, the struggles with delayed flights, surly staff or missing luggage are the most we have to contend with. But when something goes tragically wrong, our attention turns to the fact-finders. Everybody wants to know what happened and why, whenever the comparatively rare event of an air crash becomes front-page news. This is what is so frustrating about Air France 447. The flight recorders remain as critical to the investigation as they are elusive to the searchers.
Flight recorders are one component – an extremely crucial one – of an air-crash investigation. They tell us what the crew were saying, what buttons they pushed and what the aircraft was doing moments before impact. Investigators will say, however, that clues can still be pieced together without the retrieval of the recorders. For most of us, there is solace in knowing that everything that could be discovered about an accident was, especially if the flight recorders are retrieved. When they're not retrieved, the questions mount - not just about the incident, but about the technology behind the recorders themselves. Why can't "black boxes" float? Can't they transmit data via satellite so that it's immediate? The industry has grappled with these very issues over the last several decades and this has led to marked improvements in the technology. That being said, much still needs to be done.
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