The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) from Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 was found yesterday evening, as authorities identify more victims from the crash.
The search for the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), which makes the other half of the black boxes, is still underway. Armed Forces Commander Hadi Tjahjanto said the CVR could soon be found near the area where the FDR was recovered.
Flight data, such as the plane’s altitude, speed, and engine condition, can be known through an analysis of the FDR, while the conversations between the pilot and copilots are recorded in the CVR. Together they make up what is commonly known as the black box, which is crucial in determining the cause of air disasters.
Soerjanto Tjahjono, who heads Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), said that it might take them between two and five days to download the data from the FDR. Additionally, Soerjanto said the committee has been questioning the air traffic crew who were on duty on the day of the crash.
As of today, three more victims, a co-pilot and two passengers, have been identified. The National Police’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit yesterday identified a flight attendant.
SJ-182, a Boeing 733-500 series, vanished from radar four minutes after its 2:36pm departure from Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Saturday. The plane was bound for the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan. The plane, which carried 62 people on board including six crew members, reportedly crashed into the sea just four minutes after take off.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) soon confirmed the discovery of plane debris from the suspected crash site, between the islands Laki and Lancang just north off the coast of Tangerang city.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said the plane more likely plunged into the sea as data collected about the flight suggest the plane’s engines were still switched on until it was about 250 feet above the water. Indonesian authorities have yet to announce a definitive cause of the crash.
Search operations have been halted this afternoon due to weather conditions.
