Indonesia’s travel minister announced Tuesday divers have recovered the flight data recorder - or “black box” - from a Sriwijaya Air airplane that crashed into the Java Sea Saturday with 62 people on board.
The fight recorder was brought to a port in Jakarta where it was shown to the media. At a news conference, Transportation Safety Committee chief Soerjanto Tjahjono said they heard two “pings” when they found the flight recorder, indicating the cockpit recorder was nearby and were confident it would be recovered soon.
Both devices are expected to help investigators determine what caused the Boeing 737-500 series plane to plunge into the Java Sea four minutes after taking off from Jakarta's main airport.
The plane was headed to Pontianak on Borneo island, about 740 kilometers from Jakarta, before it disappeared from radar screens.
Tjahjono told reporters their initial investigation indicates the plane did not explode and was intact when it hit the water. They determined that one of the engines was still working when the aircraft made impact.
Multiple bags containing recovered human remains have been sent to police identification experts. Authorities said Monday they had identified their first victim, 29-year-old flight attendant Okky Bisma.
