A look inside the NTSB investigation lab

The National Transportation Safety Board investigates the causes of aircraft accidents and maintains the safety of aviation in the U.S. When a plane crash occurs, the NTSB investigators arrive in their blue jackets to evaluate the wreckage and uncover essential information about the crash, bringing findings and recovered wreckage to the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. where a team of engineers uses their technology and equipment to review findings. The NTSB showed a glimpse into the Vehicle Recorder Lab, where investigators use their state-of-the-art technology and equipment to review wreckage and findings as part of aviation accident investigations. In a year, the lab will receive over 400 electronic devices to examine and the lab experts will play a crucial role In the determination of a probable cause of crashes. The lab investigates accidents in all modes of transportation, using various rooms, teams and technology to determine a cause and issue safety recommendations if needed. The "Dirty Room" Investigators seek out devices like cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, which have been designed to survive accidents. The devices will arrive in the lab's "Dirty Room" first, given the name due to the condition of the wreckage and devices from the crash, often burnt, damaged or covered in debris. The evidence is documented and photographed, and engineers will perform necessary mechanical work to access internal components inside a damaged device. This work can involve hammers, shears, pry bars and cutting wheels. The recovered devices are disassembled and transferred to other rooms or labs to undergo more specialized testing or inspections.A workstation in the microelectronics lab Microelectronics Lab Engineers inspect electronic devices in the lab to find what information, if any, is contained in the devices and can be downloaded and analyzed. The team will evaluate whether the devices need additional repairs and recovery or if they are too damaged. Some devices, with little to no damage, may be downloaded and analyzed using a manufacturer's standard procedures. Many devices have been damaged by fire, water or impact and require other methods to extract data. The engineers can use methods to work down to the chip level to extract data with minimal possibility of loss. The initial inspection is performed using optical and digital microscopes to determine the condition of and document integrated circuits and electronic components. The engineers will identify the areas of concern on the various components like broke connections, signs of corrosion and cracked components. When the team has repaired the damage to the memory chips, they will transplant the chip into a working device or read it directly. If any concerns are found during the visual examination the memory device will be transferred to an x-ray scanner to find any internal issues. In certain instances, a computed tomography (CT) scan will be used to create a 3D view of the component for future inspection. The engineers will review the findings and use a range of chip recovery tools to collect necessary data. FDR Lab After the initial inspection, engineers will bring the device to the FDR lab to process raw recordings. The lab contains a pristine model of FDR models used in modern aircraft. The surrogate recorders are known as "Golden Chassis" and are used as a resource and reference point when working with seriously damaged recorders. The engineers will transfer a physical memory device from the damaged piece to the golden chassis to download data. A data extraction rack will power the undamaged and fixed devices, serving as a method to interface with the manufacturer's software and download data. The FDR will contain at least 25 hours of parametric data and the CVR will contain two hours of cockpit audio.An NTSB engineer inserting a surrogate flight data recorder into the Data Extraction Rack Once an FDR is downloaded the engineers will process the raw and extracted data, like the airspeed, heading and altitude. The engineers will validate and plot the data to show a visual representation of what was recorded. This process takes time given many modern aircraft will record hundreds or more parameters. Technical specialists or other parties to the investigation can assist the lab engineers in extracting and evaluating the hundreds or thousands of parameters. The lab contains rooms for investigators to listen to cockpit audio recordings. The recordings will be reviewed and some portions will then be transcribed. By federal law, the original recording is never released by the NTSB and the investigators and party members will sign non-disclosure agreements. A CVR audio group will produce a transcript of summary of the recordings and the other investigators will work from the transcript. The teams at the NTSB labs undergo the arduous task of extracting data and analyzing findings to determine a probable cause for the crash and issue any relevant safety recommendations. The NTSB will issue a preliminary report and then a final report, issuing any pertinent safety recommendations to manufacturers, pilots or agencies like the FAA. The agency will also partake in some serious international investigations. The agency has a five-part classification system to determine the depth and final report for each individual accident or incident. The investigations are ranked Class 1-4, with Class 1 investigations being the most significant. The investigation first begins with a decision to launch, often immediately after the crash has occurred. A complete investigation will typically take 12 to 24 months to complete, depending on various factors during the investigation. A team may be sent out to the scene to gather data and information, thus beginning the investigation process.A recorder specialist reviewing audio The NTSB originated in the Air Commerce Act of 1926, which created an aeronautic branch of the government to oversee pilot licensing, aircraft certification and accident investigations. This was the first regulation of aviation in the U.S., resulting from a string of accidents in the era of early modern aviation and barnstorming. By 1967, Congress had consolidated all of the U.S. transportation agencies into the U.S. Department of Transportation and established the NTSB as an independent organization within the DOT. In 1974, it was reestablished as a separate entity. Since 1967 the NTSB has investigated over 153,000 aviation accidents and thousands of surface transportation events. The agency has issued more than 15,730 safety recommendations to over 2,470 recipients in all modes of transportation. "Retrieving the important recorded information from vehicles involved in a crash allows us to pinpoint issues and to make sure we're addressing the right safety concerns, to make the best recommendations to improve transportation safety for everyone," the NTSB said.