BLACK BOX - exactly what does it record?

[shurato]

Im wondering because I am wondering if it records audio inside the cockpit of the plane. Yes this is a question in relation to the recent terrorist going ons. Im sorry if this was covered already, but its hard to wade through all the posts and the search function finds nothing.

 

[piku]

Good question, I have always wondered myself.

Though finding black boxes in the rubble would be impossible.

 

[thEnEuRoMancER]

link

 

[TripleJ]

There are two black boxes on each plane. 1 records audio inside the cockpit. The other records flight data.

 

[KeyserSoze]

It has all sorts of information...all of the flights controls for the previous (?) minutes. Like air speed, readins of all sorts of sensors, altimeter(s), basically just a snapshot of everything the plane did in the last minutes, as well as cockpit voice recorders.

Basically, if that's found, it'll tell everything that plane did, and experts can map out every movement/control that the plane made.



KeyserSoze

 

[boggsie]

Modern commercial aircraft have two black boxes. One records mechanical tylemetry (sp?), which includes the electrical signals from the cockpit to the mechanicals, as well as the response and sensor data. The other records the cockpit voices.

They do not have unlimited capacity. Due to the fact that most crashes are immediately preceeded by the mechanical failure, my understanding is that the recorders will save two minutes of data in a loop. This is almost always the last two minutes, prior to the crash.

I cannot imagine that the recorders from the WTC impact will be recovered. If so,what shape will they be in.

This is so hard to believe. I wish it were a hollywood production ... I wish I would wake up from this nightmare.

 

[N8Magic]

Interesting link... thanks!

 

[rickn]

all communications thru radio control, all communications that thru the plane such as with the stewardess'. there are actually two boxes I believe, one of them also records all instrument data.

 

[rickn]

not just cockpit communication, it also records communication with personnel in other parts of the aircraft

 

[XMan]

Im wondering because I am wondering if it records audio inside the cockpit of the plane. Yes this is a question in relation to the recent terrorist going ons. Im sorry if this was covered already, but its hard to wade through all the posts and the search function finds nothing.

Hopefully the cockpit voice recorders will pick up the voices of the hijackers for possible identification . . .

 

[TonyG]

Why don't they put some type of tracking device in the black box that activates whenever the plane crashes for has a failure? It would deffinately make finding them easier.

 

[SpongeBob]

I can't imagine that even a black box could withstand the amount of destruction that the ones from the planes that hit the WTC underwent.

 

[Darein]

The audio black box records the last 30 minutes. I sure hope they picked up the break into the cockpit and didn't erase over it. Black boxes also have locators in them, so they shouldn't take too long to find.

 

[rickn]

TonyG: they do have some tracking beacons, a lot of the time they become damaged and don't work

 

[Goldfish]

The black boxes are damn near indestructable.

 

[halik]

<<<The audio black box records the last 30 minutes. I sure hope they picked up the break into the cockpit and didn't erase over it. Black boxes also have locators in them, so they shouldn't take too long to find. >>>

umm the boxes are in the tail, cuz most of the time the plane goes front first.

 

[yakko]

<< I can't imagine that even a black box could withstand the amount of destruction that the ones from the planes that hit the WTC underwent. >>

I saw a show on the Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel and they showed how those boxes are built. It is very impressive.

 

[bevancoleman]

They should be able to get at the black box from the plane that crashed into the woods, that should have enough info on it to norrow down who did it (and a lot easyer to get at)

 

[Bomberboy]

Great info link: http://www.howstuffworks.com/black-box.htm

 

[jpsj82]

"They should be able to get at the black box from the plane that crashed into the woods, that should have enough info on it to norrow down who did it (and a lot easyer to get at)"

good point