Search teams recover black box of Indonesian plane that crashed into sea

TIL Desk/World/Jakarta/ Indonesian search teams have retrieved one of the two “black boxes” from the ill-fated Boeing 737 plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, killing all 62 people on board. The flight data recorder was brought ashore, but the teams are still trying to locate the cockpit voice recorder.

The authorities hope that data from the black boxes can give vital clues on the possible cause of the crash. The 26-year-old aircraft passed an airworthiness inspection last month. It was still functioning and intact before it crashed, preliminary results showed. Flight SJ182 was en route from the capital Jakarta to the city of Pontianak on Borneo island.

Separately, Indonesian police have identified the first victim – Okky Bisma, a 29-year-old flight attendant. Indonesia’s transport ministry on Tuesday said the aircraft had been grounded during the pandemic, and passed an inspection on December 14. It made its first flight five days later with no passengers before resuming commercial flights on December 22.