Unveiling the Mystery: An In-depth Look at Flight Black Boxes

Black boxes, crucial for uncovering flight mysteries, are high-visibility orange devices designed to preserve cockpit sounds and data. Invented by David Warren in the 1950s, their technology has evolved significantly. They are mandatory and contain two recorders: the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR).

The black boxes on the Jeju Air flight, which crashed on December 29, killing 179, ceased recording four minutes before impact, announced South Korea's transport ministry on Saturday.

Black boxes, typically bright orange rather than black, originated from David Warren's innovation and are now vital tools for air crash investigations, capturing crucial cockpit data and sounds.

The CVR and FDR work to decipher aviation accidents, though experts highlight the unique complexities of each case. Modern recorders can track over 1,000 parameters, and recent regulations aim to further extend recording capabilities.

(With inputs from agencies.)