Indonesian authorities have confirmed that the flight recorders of the crashed Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger jet have been found at the bottom of a steep valley at Mount Salak, the ANTARA News agency said.
The plane slammed into a steep side of Mount Salak near Jakarta shortly after take-off on a demonstration flight on May 9. All 45 people on board, including eight Russians, were killed.
“A joint team from the army’s Kopassus special force and the Indonesia Rock Climbing Federation discovered the black box at the site of the crash on Tuesday,” ANTARA News said citing a military official.
“After checking it the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) confirmed that the aircraft item carried by the Kopassus team is the black box,” the official said.
A black box contains a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder, which provide vital information for proper investigation of plane crashes.
Indonesian aviation officials earlier said the investigation of the Superjet 100 crash may take up to a year.
The jet is the first commercial plane to be designed and built in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago.
It is considered a new hope for Russia’s commercial aircraft industry.