January 23, 2026 | 09:03 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The joint search and rescue team has successfully found the black box of the Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) ATR 42-500 aircraft that went missing last weekend. The key to understanding the cause of the accident was found on the fifth day of the search, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
The device has now been brought to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) flight recorder office in Jakarta for further analysis. According to Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono, KNKT will report the results of the black box investigation no later than 30 days after the incident.
"The preliminary investigation report will be published on the official KNKT website and sent to relevant parties," he said in a written statement on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Chair of the Indonesia Air Power Study Center, Chappy Hakim, explained the important role of the black box in uncovering the cause of the ATR aircraft going missing and subsequently crashing in the Gunung Bulusaraung area, Pangkep, South Sulawesi. Chappy referred to the black box as a silent witness in every aviation accident.
He explained that the term "black box" refers to the two main recording devices in an aircraft: the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
The CVR is the cockpit voice recorder. It stores intercom conversations, communication with the Air Traffic Controller (ATC), sounds from the aircraft's warning systems, and cockpit environmental sounds that could potentially provide clues about what is happening inside the aircraft.
On the other hand, the FDR is a flight data recording device. This device records very detailed technical parameters, such as altitude, speed, direction, aircraft attitude, control movements, flap and landing gear configurations, autopilot status, as well as various engine and system data.
According to Chappy, modern aircraft can record hundreds of parameters, allowing for an almost second-by-second reading of the flight profile. "From these two sources, investigators build a precise chronology," he said when contacted on Friday, January 23, 2026.
He stated that if there are specific suspicions, such as engine power loss, flight control problems, or crew loss of situational awareness, the data recorded in the FDR and CVR will corroborate each other to answer these suspicions.
"The FDR will provide number-based answers indicating when the autopilot disengaged or when the aircraft entered abnormal conditions. Meanwhile, the CVR will provide a human context behind it. It will show whether the crew was aware of these warnings, the cockpit coordination, the checklists that were read, and whether there was miscommunication or a sudden increase in workload," he explained.
"So the black box helps systematically test these suspicions, while also distinguishing between the initial trigger and the subsequent contributing factors," said Chappy.
The black box is designed to be impact-resistant and heat-resistant, so it is almost certain that the device will not be damaged in an accident. Black box memory units designed for crash protection are generally tested to withstand high-intensity fires of around 1,100 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes and impact shocks of up to 3,400 G for 6.5 milliseconds.
However, Chappy believes that there is still a possibility of damage, especially if the accident occurs in deep waters or difficult terrain. On the other hand, the black box cannot perfectly record all aspects and has a limited recording duration.
He said that the black box recording system works in a loop and that old data is overwritten by new data. Typically, the stored data covers the 30 minutes preceding the incident. "Therefore, investigators still have to correlate it with other evidence and use strict forensic methodology to ensure accurate interpretation," he said.
Read: Black Box from Crashed ATR 42-500 Plane Sent to Jakarta for Investigation
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