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Black box from crashed Indonesian Boeing 737-500 recovered

A navy diver (L) prepares the flight data recorder prior to a press conference as a search and rescue team conducts operations off the coast for Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ182 Boeing 737-500, which crashed on January 9, at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 12, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Indonesia says a black box from the Boeing passenger plane that crashed on Saturday has been recovered, potentially helping the investigation into why the plane with 62 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the capital, Jakarta.

“The FDR (flight data recorder) has been found,” Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told a live television briefing on Tuesday.

Sumadi said officials believed the cockpit voice recorder was near the FDR. “We strongly believe it’ll be found soon,” he said.

Nearly 90 percent of all plane crashes can be explained by black box data, which record information about the speed, altitude, and direction of the plane in addition to flight crew conversations.

Navy Chief Admiral Yudo Margono said at least 160 divers were searching for the devices.

Over 3,600 rescue personnel, 13 helicopters, 54 large ships, and 20 small boats are also searching the area. So far, they have also found parts of the Boeing 737-500 plane and human remains in the water at a depth of 23 meters.

The first victim of the plane crash, flight attendant Okky Bisma, was identified by his fingerprints on Monday.

Police have been taking DNA samples from the family members of the victims. According to National Police spokesman Rusdi Hartono, about 53 samples have been collected but more are needed to identify the victims.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee chairman, ruled out the possibility of a midair breakup after seeing the condition of the wreckage.

The plane was intact until it struck the water, concentrating the debris field, rather than spreading it out over a large area as would have been seen with a midair event, he said.

Back in 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX also plunged into the Java Sea soon after taking off. The incident claimed the lives of the 189 passengers and crew on board.


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