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Black box recovered from plane crash site

DUBAI — Almost four days after the UPS cargo Boeing 747-400F crashed, killing both the pilots, investigators on Tuesday announced the recovery of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR).

The device, also known as the ‘black box’, was retrieved at 9.15am in a ‘‘reasonable condition’’, said the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), according to a Wam report.

This and the Cockpit Voice Recorder, recovered about six hours after the crash on Friday evening, will be sent to the United States for further analysis. An investigator from the UAE aviation authority will also head to the US to work on data recovery with the American investigation team.

The black box is built to survive the high-speed impact of a crash and the heat of a scorching fire. It is usually mounted near the tail of the plane where it can survive a major air accident, and is coated with a bright orange heat-resistant paint. Wreckage from the crash site will be removed today and transferred to a secure place, the GCAA added.

The investigation team is led by the GCAA, and comprises experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Boeing, FAA and UPS.

Meanwhile, UPS remained tight-lipped about the investigation and said it would not comment further following NTSB directives.

In response to queries from Khaleej Times regarding the cargo consignment on board the ill-fated flight, company spokesman Dan McMackin only said, “While I can certainly appreciate your question and its relevance to reporting on this story, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSNB) strictly forbids us from sharing any information related to the accident until they have done their investigation.”

The crash killed Captain Douglas Lampe, 48, who had been with UPS since 1995 and First Officer Matthew Bell, with the company since 2006. Both crew members flew out of the company’s Anchorage, Alaska pilot base. Smoke was reported from the cockpit before radar contact was lost with the aircraft 50 minutes into the flight. It later crashed at Nad Al Sheba military camp at 7.42pm.

The three-year-old aircraft entered UPS service off the Boeing production line in September 2007 and had flown 9,977 hours, completing 1,764 takeoffs and landings. It was up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June this year.

UPS owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use.

The aircraft, which has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne routing.

The NTSB team is led by Bill English, the US accredited representative. Experts on human performance, fire, operations, power plants and systems are part of the team. The team also has technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent 
Pilots Association.

allan@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE