The “black box” flight data recorder from Lion Air flight JT 610 that crashed on Monday has been found by divers off the coast of Indonesia, according to reports.
The low-cost carrier’s Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft with 189 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, and was heading for Pangkal Pinang in the Bangka Belitung Islands. No survivors have been found nor has the aircraft frame, but some remains of passengers have been found.
Officials say it was a data recorder, and that they are still searching for second “black box” which would have recorded conversations between the two pilots.
Reports claim that the crash may have been due to a technical issue, but this has not been confirmed, although the aircraft did have an issue the day before on a flight which Lion Air said was resolved.
Recovering the flight recorder means aviation safety experts can begin piecing together the final moments of the crash and work out what happened.
Lion Air, a budget airline based in Indonesia, has also sacked its technical director, Muhammad Asif while representatives from Boeing are meeting Indonesian officials as part of the investigation.
The 737 Max 8, had only been entered into service in August this year.
