Russian Plane Crash Probe Focuses on Black Box
16 May 2012
Indonesian members of a search and rescue team assisting in the
Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash recovery mission in Cijeruk, Indonesia
AFP
Indonesian investigators have expressed hope that the recently
recovered cockpit voice recorder from a Russian airliner that crashed
into a mountain last week would help explain why the disaster occurred,
reports AFP.
The new Sukhoi Superjet 100 slammed into Mount Salak, a dormant volcano
south of the capital Jakarta, with the loss of all 45 people onboard.
Indonesian Special Forces and Russian experts had combed the densely
forested mountain for days looking for its "black boxes" as questions
mounted about whether technical failure or human error caused the Sukhoi
to crash.
The cockpit black box record pilots' conversations between themselves
and with air traffic control. Another black box from the plane, which
records vital aircraft functions, remains missing.
"The flight data recorder has not been found. What was found was the
CVR," said Daryatmo, head of the national search and rescue agency. "We
are asking rescuers to continue the search."
Ketut Parwa, head of Jakarta's search agency, said that the voice
recorder was found late on Tuesday around 100 metres (330 feet) from the
Sukhoi's severed tail.
The plane, helmed by a veteran Russian pilot, disappeared from radar
screens on May 9 shortly after taking off from Jakarta. It was supposed
to be on a brief exhibition flight to showcase the new aircraft to
prospective buyers.
The recovered black box appeared charred from the crash but officials could not say yet whether it had suffered any damage.
The voice recorder has been handed over to Indonesia's National
Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), which is leading the
investigation with the help of more than 70 Russian experts.
"In general, black boxes are tough and can withstand impact," said KNKT chief, Tatang Kurniadi.
"We hope the CVR will shed light on what led to the crash. We hope we
can get crucial information, mainly communications by the pilot and
other people during the last moments," he said.
"We will need up to three weeks to process the data, if the condition is good."
The twin-engine jet is Russia's first post-Soviet civilian aircraft and
was to be the new emblem for the nation's aviation industry. A joint
venture with Italy's Alenia Aeronautica, the plane made its first
commercial flight last year.
A Russian fact-finding committee has said there are indications that
safety standards were violated in the demonstration flight. Russian
officials said that a full investigation into the cause of the crash
could take up to a year.
Key to the mystery is why the pilot requested permission to descend
from 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) to 6,000 feet before the plane hit Mount
Salak, which rises to 7,200 feet.
Indonesia's transport ministry has confirmed that a control tower in
Jakarta gave the pilot permission to descend as the plane approached a
military base, where mountains reach up to around 3,000 feet.
Online photos of an earlier demonstration flight on the same day show
smiling passengers on board being treated to champagne, as well as
cheerful Russian and Indonesian crew members posing outside the jet.
Rescuers said the bodies of the 45 crash victims were strewn across a
section of the mountain, with some having fallen into a deep ravine.nigeriamasterweb.com
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