PUTRAJAYA – The memory puck data from the cockpit voice recorder has been successfully retrieved after the device was sent to experts in the United States, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Previously, experts in Singapore were unable to recover data from the device that was found in the wreckage near Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam.
Loke said the data retrieval included the last 30 minutes of the flight before it crashed, and that the entire recording was very clear.
“The recording has been sent back to the team in Kuala Lumpur and it will be processed accordingly. The retrieval process took the US engineers an entire day to complete.”
As for the investigation report on the plane crash, Loke said it will be ready in 30 days from the crash date, which is in two weeks.
He added the full report could take as long as a year to complete.
During the press conference here, Loke said the voice recording will be analysed and used as investigation material to identify the cause for the crash.
However, he did not reveal other information gathered by the team.
“I don’t want to make any early conclusions. Let the experts do a detailed analysis of the data and we will include it in the early report.
“Our facilities here in Malaysia could not retrieve the data because the cockpit was badly damaged. It was initially sent to a Singapore lab in hopes that the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau could retrieve it.
“So we have no choice but to send it back to the OEM manufacturer because they have the facilities to retrieve the data.”
Last week, Malaysia’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau chief flew to Florida to deliver the memory puck to the aircraft’s original equipment manufacturer.
Last Tuesday, Loke said there were certain technical issues and restrictions that prevented TSIB from retrieving the data, prompting the decision to send the device to Florida.
The crash on August 17 resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals, including two crew members, six passengers, one motorcyclist and one car driver.
The flight crashed two minutes before it was due to land at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang after its departure from the Langkawi International Airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia later said that the aircraft did not make any mayday calls prior to the accident. – August 29, 2023