Flight recorders on commercial airliners are typically painted bright orange. The vivid color makes them easier to locate after an accident, especially when the recorders are surrounded by wreckage, soil, snow, or water.
The term “black box” is widely used, but modern flight recorders are not usually black. A commercial aircraft normally carries two main recorders: a flight data recorder, which stores technical information, and a cockpit voice recorder, which preserves cockpit audio.
The units are heavily protected because investigators need them to survive extreme forces, fire, and immersion. They also contain underwater locator beacons that emit signals after contact with water. These devices are not intended to explain every accident by themselves; investigators compare their data with maintenance records, air-traffic information, aircraft debris, and witness evidence.