– How are airplane black boxes made “crash proof”

Question

Pretty much title. I’ve always wondered how those things can withstand massive crashes and explosions and still be reliable to retrieve recordings from.

In: 240

Answer 1

Technically they are not “crash proof”, but “crash resistant”. They are built from tough materials, designed to withstand heat and high g-forces, and be water resistant, but there are situations where they simply cannot withstand the extreme conditions of a crash and are either severely damaged or destroyed.

Think of the black box a bit like an egg box. The egg box provides protection above and beyond eggs loose in a bag, but the eggs in an egg box will still break if you drop them from too high a height.