CHENNAI: Of the lost Dornier’s three components that the ocean has finally decided to give back, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) truly holds the key. Over and above the various data parameters that are contained in the bright-orange Flight Data Recorder (FDR), it is very often the final vocal communications made by the pilot to the people in the cockpit that can help investigators piece together what may have happened in the Dornier’s last moments.
Often the FDR and CVR are held together as one combined unit at the rear of the plane - set in an encased case that can withstand heavy impact of a crash. In modern aircraft, the units are fused together into one seamless device that can hold loads of data, but with smaller planes like the Dornier the recording range is more limited.
The third component that was recovered was the Line Replaceable Unit, which is often a component that is responsible for functions like avionics, hydraulics and other functions.