Pune:The black box, consisting the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR), of the Learjet 45 aircraft was recovered on Thursday, a day after it crashed near the Baramati airstrip.CVR and FDR are key to cracking the riddle behind the plane crash in which deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed. The civil aviation ministry authorities said the investigation into the accident was progressing expeditiously, after the black box was recovered. A team of three officers from Aircraft Accident Bureau, Delhi, and another team of three officers from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s Mumbai regional office reached the crash site on Wednesday and initiated the investigations. A source said the data extraction from the black box could take two to four weeks. It would reveal the exact cause(s) of the crash, including what happened inside the cockpit, discussions between the two pilots and their interaction with the ATC, he said. Another source said, “It is being checked if the equipment (black box) and data were damaged in any way because of fire. Data extraction generally takes more time in such a situation.”Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in Pune on Wednesday steps were being taken to ensure that the crash site was protected from any interference. “The local police was asked to fence the area so that the authorities investigating the incident do not face any hindrances,” he said. Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (retired) told TOI, “The DGCA will be finding out if the two commanders of the plane had any experience of landing on a tabletop runway like the one in Baramati, which requires more precautions. The Indian Air Force conducts trial landings on different runways.” He said many aviation companies had state-of-the-art flight simulators now. Sources said flying on choppers and chartered aircraft had increased by more than 100% now compared to the last decade. “While the number of pilots has increased, the heavy flying puts pressure on them, considering that they have to fly across less known terrains. On an average, jets are flying more than 100 hours a month against three hours to 40 hours a month a few years ago,” Ishwarchandra Gulgule, the MD of Kaigu Aviation in Pune, said.
