2 yıl önce

China continues search for second black box from crashed plane

Authorities said the black box found the previous day was the cockpit voice recorder, which contains the communications between the pilots, as search for the other recorder continued.

AP

Black boxes are flight recorders that contain information about what might have led to an aviation accident.

Recovery crews continue to search for a second black box from a China Eastern Airlines passenger plane that plunged with 132 people on board, as more information emerged about the pilots of the flight.

As search continued on Thursday, it was revealed that the first black box found on Wednesday was the cockpit voice recorder, a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) official said based on an early assessment.

The recording material appeared to have survived the impact in relatively good shape, and was being sent to Beijing for analysis, the official added.

The cockpit voice recorder would provide investigators with details of the communications between the flight's three pilots, which is one more than is normally required on board a Boeing 737-800 plane.

It is too early to determine the cause of the crash, which experts say are usually the result of a combination of factors. No survivors have been found.

The crash investigation is being led by China but the United States is invited to take part because the plane was designed and manufactured there.

A puzzling crash

Flight MU5735 was en route from the Chinese city of Kunming to Guangzhou on Monday when the plane suddenly plunged from cruising altitude at about the time when it should have started its descent before landing.

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane briefly appeared to pull out of its nosedive, before plunging again into a heavily forested slope in the mountainous Guangxi region of southern China.

Chinese authorities said the pilots did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers during the rapid descent.

The flight's captain, hired in January 2018, had 6,709 hours flying experience, while the first and second officers had 31,769 hours and 556 hours, respectively, a China Eastern official said on Wednesday without disclosing names.

Phoenix Weekly, a pro-Beijing private sector broadcaster, cited an aviation expert who identified the captain as Yang Hongda and the first officer as Zhang Zhengping. Jimu News identified the second officer as Ni Gongtao.

Southern Weekly, a large Guangdong-based newspaper, identified the crew by their surnames, reporting that Yang, 32, had a one-year-old daughter.

Zhang, 59, was one of China's first generation of commercial pilots with 40 years of experience and an impeccable safety record. He had been expected to retire this year.

The newspaper said the less experienced second officer, who was observing to build up experience, was Ni. China Eastern did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the reports.

SOURCE: Reuters