The Civil Aviation Administration of China once explained that the "black box" is the most important and direct evidence for determining the cause of flight accidents.
The official name for the "black box" is the flight information recording system, which includes two sets of instruments:
One is the cockpit voice recorder, which continuously records various sounds within the cockpit from the start of the flight (including conversations, transmissions, and other noises), but only retains the last 30 minutes of sound before recording stops.
The other is the flight data recorder, which records various aircraft data in real-time onto magnetic tape. Modern "black boxes" can record up to 60 types of data, including important information such as the aircraft's acceleration, attitude, thrust, fuel level, and control surface positions, with a recording range of the last 25 hours.
"Black boxes" are not only useful in aviation accident investigations. During routine operations, replaying the recordings after a period of flight can reconstruct any discovered errors or malfunctions, making it easier for maintenance engineers to locate the source of the problem.
In the event of an aviation accident, this recording system becomes the most direct basis for accident analysis. To ensure the authenticity and objectivity of the recordings, pilots can only review the recorded content and cannot control the operation of the recorder or alter the recorded data.
To ensure that the recorder is preserved even after an aircraft crash, "black boxes" are housed in heat-resistant and shock-resistant containers made of special steel. These containers can withstand impacts 1,000 times their own weight, endure temperatures of 1100°C for 30 minutes without damage, and remain waterproof even after immersion in seawater for 30 days.
To facilitate search efforts, "black boxes" are not black but are painted a conspicuous bright orange. Furthermore, "black boxes" are equipped with an automatic signal generator that emits radio signals for aerial searching, and a sonar underwater locator beacon that automatically emits continuous sonar signals for 30 days if it falls into water. Therefore, most "black boxes" are found after an aircraft crash.
I immediately had someone retrieve the internal data. However, before any results were available, I already had a prediction. This black box should not be the one found from the Yu Guoan crash 10 years ago, right? Such an object would certainly have been collected by the police and not left lying around. I suddenly thought of something and suspected that the black boxes found in the homes of other missing persons might be a repeat of this scenario!
After smashing them open, I indeed discovered even more flight recorders. Two more black boxes, found in the other two families' homes, were presented before me.
The technicians present at the time were a bit surprised, but my decisive action uncovered new leads for the case.
The three flight recorders were sent to He Xin. They would likely be busy again. It is probable that none of these three were from the actual aircraft at the time of the crash. What could be extracted from them still awaited He Xin's results.
If the case is related to Yu Guoan's air crash 10 years ago, then what about the other families' male members?
Could it be that they were all on the same plane at the time?
I immediately found Yuan Hezhan and asked him to investigate the plane that crashed 10 years ago. Such incidents happen every year, but not usually many. Based on Yu Guoan's information and the airline's records at the time, we quickly identified the flight as China Eastern flight HU7325.
"This flight caused quite a stir back then. It was en route from Guangming to Beijing, but when it was about to enter Hebei, the engine compartment caught fire, ultimately leading to the crash. We'll have to see the information from the flight recorder; it would be good if anything can be extracted."
"If not, then contact the police department responsible at the time!"
"Understood." Yuan Hezhan contacted them immediately. Given my current status, obtaining the original extracted video from the black box would not be difficult.
Soon, the data was transferred from the municipal bureau. The officer in charge at the time turned out to be Liu Yuning.
As she watched the screen with us, she said, "Yes, this case happened a long time ago. I almost forgot about it."
"You went to Hebei at the time?"
"That's right. I personally went to assist the Hebei police in their investigation. Reportedly, there were 83 passengers on the plane, plus staff, making a total of 95. Typically, the crew consists of 12 to 22 members. Aviation personnel performing duties on the aircraft during flight, including the flight crew and cabin crew, are responsible for the well-being of all passengers and will make every effort to protect them in the event of an emergency."
"That's truly tragic. So many families had to endure the pain of losing loved ones all at once."
"Yes, when we saw the families arriving, they couldn't even retrieve the ashes. The scene was simply unbearable and horrific."
As Liu Yuning and I spoke, everyone was focused on the screen. Next, we were about to watch the video recorded by the black box at the time. Everyone was ready...
Yuan Hezhan somberly pressed the Enter key. A series of static noises slowly came through, and our attention was fixed on his screen. At this moment, He Xin also put down her work and leaned in.
Initially, the screen was completely dark, but as that tragic sound filled the air, a scene of a quiet cabin with many people seated began to appear. The angle was from behind, so only the tops of countless heads were visible above the seatbacks. At first, it was quite quiet around, with occasional whispers. They were likely discussing their upcoming trip to Beijing. Among them were families on vacation, some in formal suits, some were learned professors, and others were dignified doctors.
I didn't know where Yu Guoan was sitting at the time. The image before me only showed countless seats arranged in rows, grouped together, with seats on both sides. Later, as some people grew tired of chatting, they began to sleep on the plane. However, at this very moment, the plane suddenly shuddered violently. Someone eyewitnessed thick smoke billowing from the aircraft's wing outside the cabin window.
At that moment, many people let out gasps of alarm, realizing that danger was imminent. Then, the aircraft's alarm sounded, and a flight attendant's voice came through: "Dear passengers, we are experiencing a minor malfunction in our engine compartment, but repairs have begun. Please remain calm; everything will be alright!"
"Engine compartment? No way! What if it catches fire?" a middle-aged man shouted.
"Aren't they repairing it? They should be able to fix it!" said a woman with a well-proportioned face.
At this moment, another person spoke up: "I've heard of many plane crashes caused by engine compartment fires. I have a feeling we're about to, be doomed!"