A joint operation of the Indonesian Navy, the National Police, and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) conduct intensive search for the black box of the crashed Sriwijaya Air plane in the Java Sea on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)
Black Box of Sriwijaya Air Plane Recovered Four Days after Crash
BY :YUDHA BASKORO
JANUARY 12, 2021
Jakarta. The black box containing flight data recorder (FDR) of a Sriwijaya Air plane which crashed four days ago was recovered on Tuesday by elite members of the Indonesian Navy.
Indonesian authorities are still working to locate a second black box that contains the cockpit voice recorder of the Boeing 737-500 plane, which carried 62 people during the ill-fated flight en route from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten to the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak.
“Let’s pray that the process to read and retrieve data from the FDR -- which will take two to five days -- will go smoothly so we can confirm the cause of this tragedy,” National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono said in a statement.
“Uncovering the real cause of an accident will help us prevent a recurrence in the future, and that’s one of the main reasons of the ongoing investigation by the KNKT,” he added.
The air traffic control lost contact with the plane four minutes after takeoff on Saturday afternoon.
Soerjanto dismissed theory that the plane exploded mid-air, saying a broken fan blade still attached on its turbine disc has been found. In addition, the plane’s system continued to transmit data as it fell from an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet to as low as 250 feet.
“The damaged fan blade indicates that the engine was still functioning during the impact,” he said.
An Indonesian Navy officer stands on the surveillance deck of the KRI Semarang warship during search operation for two black boxes of the ill-fated Sriwijaya Air plane in the Java Sea on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)A diver is seen aboard the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) boat in the Java Sea, north of Jakarta. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)Indonesian Navy personnel pull plane debris aboard the KRI Rigel warship in the Java Sea on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)Elite members of the Indonesian Navy coordinate actions in the middle of the Java Sea, north of Jakarta on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)An Indonesian Navy personnel in an inflatable boat hands a piece of metal believed to be that of the crashed Sriwijaya Air’s Boeing 737-500 plane to his colleagues aboard the KRI Tenggiri warship in the Java Sea, north of Jakarta on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)An Indonesian Navy officer inspects a bag containing human remains believed to be the victims of the ill-fated Sriwijaya Air flight in the Java Sea on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)Two Indonesian Navy divers show debris pulled from the crash site of the Sriwijaya Air flight SJ 182 in the Java Sea on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)The black box of the crashed Sriwijaya Air plane arrives at Tanjung Priok Port dockyard in North Jakarta on Jan. 12, 2021. The black box will be sent to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). (Antara Photo/Muhammad Adimaja)The sun appears above the horizon as a naval ship continues the search for the black box in the crash site of a Sriwijaya Air plane in the Java Sea, north of Jakarta on January 12, 2021. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)