The black box in an aircraft contains the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR). The cockpit voice recorder documents all in flight communication done between the pilots and the aviation control centres. The FDR records all information about the aircraft's altitude, fuel, speed, turbulence, cabin pressure etc. The black box is a bright orange-coloured box that is placed at both the front and the rear of the aircraft. In the event of an air crash, the black box provides vital information about the plane that could be essential in the investigation afterwards. The black box is built to withstand difficult conditions. They are activated as soon as they interact with water, and begin to send out signals.

After 1958, it became mandatory for all commercial flights to have a black box on board the aircraft. The box helps clarify reasons for an accident. It therefore assists in finding ways to prevent those accidents in future.