Black boxes retrieved from lost Indonesian airliner after eight months
{{date|August 28, 2007}}

Eight months after the January 1st crash of [[w:Adam Air|Adam Air]] [[w:Adam Air Flight 574|Flight 574]] into [[Indonesia]]n waters, the [[w:cockpit voice recorder|cockpit voice recorder]] (CVR) and [[w:flight data recorder|flight data recorder]] (FDR) have been retrieved from the wreckage.

The devices, collectively referred to as 'black boxes', had remained unrecovered over a dispute between the Indonesian government and the airline over who would bear the costs of salvage.

Only recently has a contract been signed with [[United States]] salvage firm Phoenix International, who arrived last week in Indonesia to receive the recorders, working co-operatively with the Indonesian Transport Safety Commission (ITSC) and the US [[w:National Transportation Safety Board|National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB).

The boxes were located by an underwater [[w:remotely operated vehicle|remotely operated vehicle]] searching the seabed near Majene, [[w:Sulawesi|Sulawesi]], where the plane went down. They were approximately 2,000 metres (6,500 ft) down and 1,400 metres apart. The FDR was recovered on August 27 at midday and the CVR was retrieved the following day at 10 a.m.

According to Tatang Kurniadi, chairman of the ITSC, the boxes exibit only minor physical damage, but there is currently no way of knowing if the data they contain has been damaged or destroyed by their prolonged stay underwater.

The devices will now be sent to [[w:Washington, D.C.|Washington]] for analysis by NTSB specialists.

==Related news==
*{{Wikinews|title=Salvage operation begins to retrieve black boxes from Adam Air Flight 574|date=August 23, 2007}}
*{{wikinews|title=EU bans all Indonesian airlines as well as several from Russia, Ukraine and Angola|date=June 29, 2007}}
*{{wikinews|title=Indonesia shuts down 4 airlines and grounds 5 others over safety concerns|date=June 28, 2007}}
*{{wikinews|title=Adam Air strikes deal with salvage firm to retrieve black boxes of crashed airliner|date=May 29, 2007}}
*{{wikinews|title=Black Box from missing Indonesian plane may have been found|date=January 26, 2007}}
*{{wikinews|title=Indonesian passenger plane crashes in mountains|date=January 5, 2007}}
 
== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK181912.htm
|title=Black box retrieved from crashed Indonesian plane
|author=
|pub=Reuters
|date=August 28, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/28/216338/adam-air-737-recorders-finally-retrieved-from-seabed.html
|title=Adam Air 737 recorders finally retrieved from seabed
|author=Nicholas Ionides
|pub=Flight Global
|date=August 28, 2007}}

{{Publish}}
{{archived}}

[[Category:Indonesia]]
[[Category:Disasters and accidents]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Adam Air]] [[Category:Iain Macdonald (Wikinewsie)]]
[[Category:National Transportation Safety Board]]
[[Category:Transport]]
[[Category:Remotely operated underwater vehicles]]
[[Category:Adam Air Flight 574]]
[[Category:Sulawesi]]
[[Category:National Transportation Safety Committee]]
[[Category:Missing persons]]
Eight months after the January 1st crash of Adam Air Flight 574 into Indonesian waters, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have been retrieved from the wreckage.

The devices, collectively referred to as 'black boxes', had remained unrecovered over a dispute between the Indonesian government and the airline over who would bear the costs of salvage.

Only recently has a contract been signed with United States salvage firm Phoenix International, who arrived last week in Indonesia to receive the recorders, working co-operatively with the Indonesian Transport Safety Commission (ITSC) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The boxes were located by an underwater remotely operated vehicle searching the seabed near Majene, Sulawesi, where the plane went down. They were approximately 2,000 metres (6,500 ft) down and 1,400 metres apart. The FDR was recovered on August 27 at midday and the CVR was retrieved the following day at 10 a.m.

According to Tatang Kurniadi, chairman of the ITSC, the boxes exibit only minor physical damage, but there is currently no way of knowing if the data they contain has been damaged or destroyed by their prolonged stay underwater.

The devices will now be sent to Washington for analysis by NTSB specialists.
Indonesia Disasters and accidents Aviation Adam Air Iain Macdonald (Wikinewsie) National Transportation Safety Board Transport Remotely operated underwater vehicles Adam Air Flight 574 Sulawesi National Transportation Safety Committee Missing persons