The Center, which manages the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention System (SIPAER), has housed the Flight Recorder Data Reading and Analysis Laboratory (LABDATA) for 18 years. This essential sector is responsible for analyzing and extracting data from “black boxes”, providing fundamental information for the investigations it carries out.
Aligned with CENIPA's mission to strengthen Flight Safety, LABDATA maintains high international standards to guarantee the quality and accuracy of analyses. In the southern hemisphere, Brazil and Australia are the only countries with laboratories of such capacity, which allows CENIPA to collaborate with investigations from several friendly nations, mainly in Latin America.
To ensure effectiveness in extracting data from the flight recorder, the laboratory uses modern equipment and has a highly specialized team, which performs analyzes with microscopes, Virtual Reality (3D) animations and specific ovens for drying electronic components.
The flight recorder, commonly called a “black box”, is designed to withstand extreme conditions, including crashes, fires and submersions of up to six thousand meters.
Inside the laboratory, there is an extraction workshop where the flight recorders' memory boards are removed and their components checked. Electronic data retrieval allows access to cabin sounds, pilot communications and reading of various flight parameters, including altitude, speed and trajectory.
After this analysis, experts use the flight simulator room to create an animation based on the information recovered and the flight conditions that preceded the accident.
“Since the implementation of the structure at CENIPA, in 2006, we have maintained our focus on continuous improvement of the analyzes carried out here. We work tirelessly to provide researchers with as much information as possible from the data obtained, which requires a meticulous analysis process and, thus, in a timely manner, contributes to the excellence of results, contributing to the improvement of aviation” said the Head of LABDATA, Colonel Aviador Sidnei Velloso da Silva Junior, highlighting the importance of the work carried out at the institution.
Constant updating with new technologies is essential for the progress and innovation of research solutions. In Brazil, the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA), which is part of the Aeronautical Command (COMAER), has been a key player in Flight Safety during its 52 years of operation.
Street: FAB
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