What is a “black box” in an airplane? In fact, it is not some mysterious container, but an important device for recording flight data, and it is not black at all — usually orange, to make it easier to find. The airplane's “black box” actually consists of two parts: one records technical flight data, while the other captures sounds and conversations in the cockpit. It’s like a large digital notebook that keeps track of how the airplane is performing and what is happening in the cockpit.
When an aviation accident occurs, these “boxes” help aviation detectives figure out what went wrong. They allow for the reconstruction of the last moments of the flight: whether there was something wrong with the engine, whether there was a communication problem, or if any unusual events occurred in the cockpit. Thanks to black boxes, we can understand the causes of accidents and prevent them in the future.
The black box can withstand extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, strong water pressure, and mechanical damage, which allows data to be preserved even after an accident.
Black boxes began to be used in aviation in 1958. Initially, they were used to record only flight data (Flight Data Recorder), and later, in 1965, voice recording in the cockpit (Cockpit Voice Recorder) was added.
The first accidents that occurred for unexplained reasons highlighted the importance of data collection for investigations and determining the causes of accidents. This helped reduce the number of aviation accidents and improve aviation safety.