Crucial component of crashed Air India Express plane’s black box found

Crucial component of crashed Air India Express plane’s black box found

The flight data recorder of an Air India Express jet that crashed on Friday - killing at least 18 people - has been recovered and authorities are searching for its cockpit voice recorder.

Together, the components make up the black box that can help investigators piece together what caused the Boeing 737 to skid off the runway and break apart while attempting to land Friday.

Operating as Flight 1344 for Air India Express from Dubai, the plane carrying 190 passengers and crew touched down with a tail wind, according to archived local weather data, which would be counter to the usual practice of landing into the wind for more control.

It came to rest in a valley near a hilltop airport in Kozhikode, India, which has been hit by torrential rains since Thursday.

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