A colloquial name for the crash-survivable recording systems installed on commercial aircraft. Despite the name, these units are painted bright orange to aid recovery after an accident. They capture hundreds of flight parameters and audio from the cockpit area microphone to help investigators determine the cause of a crash.
Heard on the job
The recovery team located the black box in the tail section wreckage.
Insider tip
Insiders rarely call it a black box at work, preferring FDR (Flight Data Recorder) or CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder).
Also heard as
- flight recorder
- FDR
- CVR