Air India crash: "These types of investigations can take months"

CGTN Europe interviewed John Strickland, an independent aviation business strategist

Transcript

00:00John Strickland is an aviation business strategist. So, John, great to have you on the show.

00:05So, one of the two black boxes has been found, as we understand, what kind of data might it contain?

00:12Well, it depends on which of the black boxes has been found. I haven't seen any elaboration on that at the time we're speaking,

00:19but assuming it's the data recorder, then it will have detailed information on all operating systems on the aircraft,

00:26what they were doing from the pre-departure right through to the moment of the crash.

00:31And that's going to be a really valuable source of precision information for the accident investigation team.

00:38If it happens to be the voice recorder, then at least we will get information on the dialogue between the pilots,

00:46individually between themselves or with air traffic control. Both are valuable,

00:51but the data certainly gives a wider reach of background information for the safety or the accident inquiry.

01:00Yeah, you're right. I have pointed out one of the very interesting questions,

01:03which one of the two black boxes has been found at this point?

01:06But what are some of the key questions that investigators are trying to answer right now?

01:11I understand that the black boxes, correct me if I'm wrong, are usually at the very back of the plane.

01:16Well, they're designed to be so robust that they can withstand phenomenal damage from an accident

01:25because of their whole purpose is indeed to provide necessary information.

01:29It's not always the case, but if this is recovered, hopefully it is intact.

01:34And even if there's damage, not sufficient damage to render its contents unusable.

01:40But I think at the moment, with what we've heard about that black box being found,

01:46the video evidence we have available, the apparent mayday message from one of the pilots,

01:52there's a lot of information there in terms of putting the pieces of this very complex jigsaw together.

02:00And of course, the wreckage itself will then have to be examined piece by piece,

02:05and that's a very painstaking job.

02:07So it's a lot of work that is very varied, very, very intricate,

02:13and it just has to take the time that it takes.

02:16So we're not likely to hear very much, if anything, from the investigation inquiry anytime soon.

02:22Yeah, as you said, it's a lot of work. It takes time.

02:24So how long do you expect the full investigation to take, and what happens now?

02:30It's really not possible to say.

02:32I mean, these types of investigations can take months.

02:35It depends on every individual case.

02:37Each one is different.

02:39This one, at least, we could say, is confined to a relatively limited area,

02:46as it happened just after takeoff.

02:48But even so, debris is scattered over a wide radius.

02:52And, of course, with the impact with buildings, that complicates, again,

02:57accessing some of the debris as well.

03:01John, thank you very much.

03:02That is John Strickland, an aviation business strategist.