After finding the black box, what is the next step?
Qiu Chaoyi
For air crash investigation, the black box only means the start of specific work after the black box is found.
So, where was it sent?
What is the process of data download and decoding?
What is the next step after the decoding is completed?
The reporter interviewed Shu Ping, director of the Aviation Safety Research Institute of the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology and director-general of the Aviation Safety Committee of the China Aviation Association.
Reporter: After the black box is found, what should be done on the spot?
Shu Ping: After finding the black box at the scene of the accident, first check its integrity to see if it has suffered serious damage.
The appearance of the black box found this time is badly damaged, but the appearance of the storage unit is relatively intact.
Reporter: Next, where will the black box be sent for decoding?
Shu Ping: The investigation team will generally decide where to send it based on the damage it has suffered. If the situation is good, it will generally be sent to the laboratory of a civil aviation professional institution designated by the government for decoding and analysis; if the damage is more serious, it needs to be Send it to the original manufacturer of the equipment for restoration.
The black box of the crashed China Eastern Airlines plane was produced by Honeywell of the United States.
Reporter: How long does the data download and decoding process generally take? Where is the difficulty?
Shu Ping: The decoding time depends on the integrity of the equipment. If the equipment is intact, it may be completed in a short time. If the damage is serious, it will take a long time to repair the data.
Therefore, the exact time is difficult to predict.
Reporter: After the cockpit voice recorder found this time is decoded, what specific information can we obtain?
Shu Ping: The cockpit voice recorder starts recording when the aircraft is powered on, and stops when the power is off.
It can record the voice in the cockpit and the background sound, including four channels of sound, namely the captain channel, the co-pilot channel, the backup channel, and the ambient channel sound, and the recording time is about two to three hours.
These will provide important evidence for analyzing and judging the cause of the accident.
Reporter: After the black box decoding is completed, what is the next step in the investigation work?
Shu Ping: After the decoding is completed, the investigation team will make a preliminary judgment based on the content and data obtained, combined with the overall operation process of the aircraft and investigation experience previously mastered.
The most important thing in the whole process is to find anomalies. Once suspicious points are found, they will analyze the suspicious points without letting go of any clues.
In addition, relying on data alone is not enough, and it is necessary to closely contact the investigators at the accident site to find corresponding physical evidence to support.
After the physical evidence is found, it is necessary to use various means to carry out simulation analysis experiments, trying to reproduce the relevant phenomena, so as to finally draw a relatively complete and scientific conclusion.