Which data source is most directly used to corrobor post-crash trajectory and occupant actions?

• A. Passenger Interviews
• B. Weather Reports
• C. FDR and CVR Data
• D. Marketing Materials

Answer: (C)

Focus on data that ties the flight path to what happened in the cockpit. The flight data recorder tracks the airplane’s performance and control inputs in flight—altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, attitude, heading, engine settings, and control surface positions—so investigators can reconstruct the actual trajectory and see how the aircraft was being operated at each moment. The cockpit voice recorder captures what the crew and any other speakers were saying and doing during those moments—the timing of warnings, the crew’s responses, and actions like system changes or emergency procedures. Together they provide a timeline that directly links motion to crew actions, which is exactly what’s needed to corroborate what happened after the crash. Weather reports describe conditions but don’t show the flight’s actual movement or responses; passenger interviews can be useful but are subjective and retrospective; other materials like marketing or publicity are irrelevant. So the most direct corroboration comes from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder data.