A deadly plane crash recently occurred in Nepal, involving Yeti Airlines where all passengers died. How is the investigation process to find the cause, moreover the situation at the airport is actually bright?
Quoted from Outlookindia, the process is more or less the same. The first step is to secure the accident area and search for the black box. Although it is called a black box, there are actually two boxes, namely the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
Both the CVR and the FDR Yeti Air have been found by the search team. The CVR records every sound in the cockpit, captures radio transmissions, cockpit conversations between pilots and crew, and more. CVR can record audio ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.
Finding and evacuating survivors is of course also the first priority. If a fire occurs, the fire must be extinguished when the evacuation and search begins. The crash site and wreckage were photographed and videotaped, all debris documented and collected.
"They also interviewed eyewitnesses and drew graphs showing the debris field and indications of how the plane hit the ground, such as the angle of impact, distribution of debris and other details," said Daniel Kwasi, Assistant Professor of Aviation at the University of North Dakota.
Daniel added, investigators also collected all documents related to the plane, its crew, and recent flights for forensic analysis.
There is a dedicated investigative and technical support team that looks at the technical aspects of the accident, such as air traffic control activities and instructions, weather at the time of the accident, human factors such as crew experience and training, maintenance records, safety equipment and aircraft performance.
"They might take apart a crashed plane's engine or other components and use a flight simulator to try to get a feel for what the pilot is dealing with," Daniel wrote in an article.
Forensic experts are also involved in investigations to identify victims. In addition, they tested the survivors for anything, for example whether they were drunk or in any disordered mental or physical condition.
Accident investigators must release a preliminary report to the International Civil Aviation Organization within 30 days, the United Nations specialized agency for civil aviation. The final report is usually expected before the first anniversary of the accident.