Mumbai, June 30 -- The black box is a crucial tool in aviation investigations and is central to determining the cause of the recent Air India Dreamliner crash. Mint breaks down what it is, how it works and what's next.

A black box is a small machine that records all information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps investigators understand and investigate an aeroplane mishap. Despite the name, the black box is bright orange to aid in recovery efforts.

In the Air India crash, the Boeing Dreamliner had two such devices, one installed in the tail and the other in the nose. General Electric (GE) manufactured the combined flight data and cockpit voice recorder, which is called an "enhanced airborne flight recorder".

Australian scien...