ID :
336139
Wed, 07/23/2014 - 05:47
Auther :

Black Box Memory Card Data Cannot Be Modified - Experts

By Ratcharathan Rawe Shanggar, Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid & Rhoma Ahmad Razali KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- Data contained in the memory chip of the black box from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 which was believed to have been shot down in Ukraine last Thursday, cannot be modified. Universiti Kuala Lumpur Aircraft Research and Innovation head, Associate Prof Capt Dr Mohd Harridon Mohd Suffian said the data could only be concealed by separating several data, but this could still be detected if it was to happen. "Concealing the data does not mean erasing the data in memory...however, what can happen is the data is moved, or hidden. "The memory card also cannot be changed because its serial number is the same as that on the black box and can be identified by the factory it was manufactured at," he told Bernama. Mohd Harridon said the black box was placed in a Crash Survivability Memory Unit, a special hardware which had several layers of thin aluminium, silica and titanium to help it resist an explosion. Commenting further, he said data from the black box would only give a 50 per cent picture of the incident while the other half would be analysed through remnants of the aircraft. “We need to analyse two things, the black box and remnants which need to be collected, measured and a report needs to be made. Analysis will be difficult if pieces of the aircraft are scattered and moved from its original place." Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia Aerospace Engineering lecturer Associate Prof Dr Kamarul Arifin Ahmad said the black box had two vital components, namely the Voice Data Recorder (VDR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), whereby the VDR was a voice recording of the pilot and co-pilot, while the FDR recorded aircaft data. "The VDR is able to record the conversation between the pilot and co-pilot for two hours before it (aircraft) crashes and the FDR data is recorded upon take-off," he said. Kamarul said there was a possibility that the sound of a bullet impact, if a shot was fired, could be recorded by the black box. He also advised Malaysians to obtain foreign expertise for investigations on the MH17 black box. "Investigation on the black box requires instruments and individuals with experience in the field. Data in the black box could be damaged if the electronic component is misused," he cautioned. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in Putrajaya on Monday night that the black box would be given to the Malaysian team at 9pm (2am in Malaysia), after he had contacted Alexander Borodai, who controls the chaotic region where the plane was reportedly shot down. Meanwhile, former MAS chief pilot Captain Nik Ahmad Huzlan Nik Hussain said as a country which owned the aircraft through MAS, Malaysia had the right to partake in the black box investigation. "If Malaysia is not allowed this, the black box will be taken to a country with the expertise and equipment to do so," he said. Nik Ahmad Huzlan, who has over 30 years in aviation experience, said the FDR would record all flight data such as altitude, speed and direction while the VDR would record conversations beween the pilot and air traffic controler (ATC). Asked if data from the black box was able to determine the cause of the crash, including whether it was shot down and the party responsible, Ahmad Huzlan said it depended on how far the black box recorded the necessary data. "If the aircraft was shot at, the black box may not be able to record data if the signal was cut off. However, if the aircraft was still flying after it was shot, then there may be data recorded," he added. MAS Flight MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine, near the Russian border on Thursday night. The Boeing 777 aircraft which carried 283 passengers and 15 crew was believed to have been shot down. -- BERNAMA

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