Dornier 228 black box sent to US to retrieve data • The Dornier aircraft crashed off the coast of Tamil Nadu on June 8 killing three Coast Guard personnel onboard

The Coast Guard has sent the “severely damaged” black box of the Dornier aircraft, which crashed off the coast of Tamil Nadu on June 8, to the United States to retrieve data.

The decision was taken after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) informed the Board of Inquiry — constituted to look into incident — that they had limitations in retrieving the data due to severity of damage caused to the Flight Data Recorder (black box).

The damage to the black box also indicates the magnitude of the impact the Dornier may have suffered before crashing into Indian Ocean, killing three Coast Guard personnel onboard. The wreckage of the aircraft was located on July 14 — nearly 36 days later — at a depth of 996 metres, the deepest in the history of accidents in India, according to the Coast Guard.

"We have sent the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) to the original equipment manufacturer in US. This was done after HAL officials told us that there was a possibility of losing the data due to the high degree of damage caused to the FDR. We are expecting a report from the US in another 10 days after which the Board of Inquiry will further analyze the reason behind the accident,” a Coast Guard official told The Indian Express.

HAL, being the licensed manufacturer of Dornier Do 228, is the agency to decode FDR after such accidents.

According to HAL sources, they had recovered the data from the Navy Dornier that crashed in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa in March with the help of personnel from original equipment manufacturer.

 However, in the present case, the FDR has been sent to the US. “It happens rarely when there is exceptional damage to the FDR.

Rather than losing the data, it is safe if the original equipment manufacturer extracts the same.

It is a routine practice in such cases to involve the original equipment manufacturer,” a HAL official said. 

The HAL, meanwhile, is decoding the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the same aircraft, sources added.

The “milking” — as they term the process — of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) is likely to provide clues to the three-member Board of Inquiry which is carrying out the investigation into the crash. 

Crucial factors such as the engine condition, temperature, impact on the aircraft as well as speed and coordinates recorded by the FDR would help the Board of Inquiry analyze the cause of the accident and initiate corrective actions to avoid future mishaps in case of a “probable repetitive snag”.

The remains of the deceased crew members have been sent to Central Forensic Research Laboratory in Chennai to obtain further clues, officials added.

 Source: http://indianexpress.com