EgyptAir Flight MS804 : 2nd black box retrieved

A second flight recorder has been retrieved from the crashed EgyptAir flight MS804, containing data from aircraft systems which could shed light on what brought the plane down last month, Egyptian investigators said on Friday.

The recorder, which gathers information about the speed, altitude and direction of the plane, was "retrieved in several pieces", investigators said in a statement, a day after the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder was recovered.

The Airbus A320 crashed early on May 19 on its way from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 people on board. The two blackbox recorders are crucial to explaining what went wrong.

Two specialist vessels, John Lethbridge and Laplace, had been searching for the flight data recorders.

The Egyptian investigation committee said preparations were under way to transfer the two flight recorders to Alexandria where they will be received by an official from the general prosecutor's office and investigators.

No group has claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane, but investigation sources have said that it was too early to rule out any causes, including terrorism.

If intact, the cockpit recorder should reveal pilot conversations and any cockpit alarms, as well as other clues such as engine noise. But crash experts say it may provide only limited insight into what caused the crash, especially if the crew was confused or unable to diagnose any faults.

For that, the second black box containing data from the aircraft systems is needed.

The crash is the third blow since October to Egypt's travel industry, which is still suffering from the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

A Russian plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula last October, killing all 224 people on board in an attack claimed by ISIS. In March, an EgyptAir plane was hijacked by a man wearing a fake suicide belt. No one was hurt.
(alarabiya.net with Agencies)
17/6/16
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• Updates : EgyptAir Flight MS804 : EgyptAir Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo crashes with 66 people on board