QZ8501 black box likely to be found near plane’s tail: Investigator

PANGKALAN BUN — Investigators have not received any confirmation that the black box is inside the tail of the crashed AirAsia jet but they are “quite sure” it will be in the wreckage or near by, said Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) investigator Nurcahyo Utomo today (Jan 8).

Mr Nurcahyo said four investigators from Airbus — the jet’s manufacturer — had already seen images shot by divers inspecting the plane tail, which was found yesterday flipped over and partly buried in mud in the Java Sea.

While the images have not shown any sign of the black box, which are orange-coloured flight recorders located near the end of aircraft, Mr Nurchayo said it is possible that it might be located outside the tail.

“If it is detached from the original position because of the impact... I hope and I am quite sure it will be not far from the wreckage that we found yesterday,” he said.

Mr Nurchayo said there are 17 investigators from KNKT on board three ships near the location of the plane tail today. They will inspect debris retrived by divers.

The Singapore-bound AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea on Dec 28 with 162 people on board. It had taken off from the Indonesian city of Surabaya.

The black box contains data recording the recent history of the flight, including sounds in the cockpit and the conversation of pilots, that can help explain the crash.