Mangalore Air Tragedy In Pics

After three days of intense search, the missing part of the black box of the ill-fated Air India Express flight has been found at the crash site.

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) of the crashed plane will give key details of the conversation between the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the pilot and will help investigators ascertain what actually went wrong.

Investigators had on Sunday retrieved the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Digital Flight Data Acquisition Unit (DFDAU), but the crucial DFDR could not be traced.

The CVR and the DFDR are known as the 'Black Box'. While the CVR captures radio transmissions, the DFDR logs actual flight conditions, including altitude, airspeed, heading, vertical acceleration and aircraft pitch. The DFDAU records short-duration flight parameters. (AP Image)

On May 22, an Air India Express aircraft from Dubai overshot the runway while landing at the Mangalore airport.

Hundred fifty-eight persons were killed in India's worst air disaster in over a decade. The flight had 160 passengers and six crew members on board. (Image courtesy: Mangesh)

On landing the plane overshot the runway, went down a ravine and burst into flames. (AP Image)

Eight persons miraculously survived the crash after the two-and-a-half-year-old Boeing 737-800 with an experienced Serbian pilot in command missed the touchdown area at the 8,000-feet 'table top' runway at Mangalore's Bajpe airport. (Photo: AP)

The Boeing 737-800, which was inducted on January 15, 2008 and piloted by British national of Serbian origin Captain Zlatko Glusica, had 160 passengers and a six-member crew on board the budget carrier, flight IX-812. The passengers included four infants.

Reports indicate the pilot missed the landing spot and flew beyond the touchdown point. In fact, he over shot by over 2,000 feet, which is almost unprecedented. (AP Image)

The pilot, Captain Zlatko Glusica then reportedly tried to stop by hard braking. It was at this time that the tyres burst. The plane veered violently, and on the way hit an antenna at the edge of the runaway. At this point, the plane broke and split up at the edge of the runway. (AP Image)

Some lucky ones were thrown out possibly close to the tarmac area. These eight were fortunate to survive. (Image courtesy: Aditya Desai)

According to sources, the throttle in the cockpit, extricated from the debris, was found in a forward position suggesting that the pilot may have attempted a final thrust to take-off seconds before the crash.(AP Image)

"The tyre burst the moment the plane landed. There was no scope for escape. The tyre burst the moment the plane landed and overshot the runway and crashed into the forest. Within a few seconds there was a blast. There was smoke. I saw some trees and managed to get out of the plane. Another passenger was trying to escape. I tried to help him out by pushing him out, but he got stuck in the cable. Our hands and faces caught fire. I somehow managed to get out. Some locals helped me reach the hospital. I think there was a problem with the runway. The runway is not smooth because of which the flight shook on landing," said a survivor. (AP Image )

Seconds later the plane fell into the valley and caught fire. It was 6:05 am.

Then it was simply impossible for anyone to get out. Soon after, Mangalore air officials and nearby villagers rushed to the spot to help survivors. (AP Image)

A rescue worker cuts through the metal of an aircraft during a search operation at the site of a crash in Mangalore.

It took over six hours to douse the fire. The plane was almost completely burnt. All that was visible was its tail. (AP Image)

Bodies of all the 158 victims of the Air India Express plane crash near Bajpe airport were recovered on Saturday from the wreckage site. (AFP Image)

Of the 158 bodies, 22 bodies still remain to be identified.

Family members of victims are required now to give blood sample to check if it is matches with the DNA samples of any of the 22 unidentified bodies kept at the Wenlock Mortuary in Mangalore. (AP Image)

Air crash survivor Moin Kutty rests on a hospital bed in Mangalore.

The Prime Minister also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed in the crash and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM's National Relief Fund.

A man who survived the Air India plane crash lies on a hospital bed in Mangalore.