GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Search teams in Indonesia late 30 May found the flight data recorder of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed into Mount Salak in West Java 9 May. The box was under 20 metres of soil, about 1km from the site of the collision, and investigators are hoping the box will give them clues as to what caused the plane to head into the mountainside at 800kph during a demonstration flight. The box was given to Indonesian authorities from the National Commission for Air Transport Safety, to decode, with help from the Russian company if needed. The company said in a statement that “The unit is not essentially damaged.”
All 45 people on board died in the crash.
Another box with data was found earlier, causing some public confusion, with media mistakenly reporting that it was the flight data recorder.
The Superjet 100 is the first commercial airliner made by Russian military plane company Sukhoi in a joint venture with several other Russian and international companies, including Italy’s Finmeccanica. Russia was reportedly hoping to sell 45 of the planes to Indonesia, with air travel growing rapidly in the country.
Links to other sites: Jakarta Post, Moscow Times
