[Avionics Magazine 06-17-2016] The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) from the
EgyptAir flight 804 Airbus A320, which disappeared from radar coverage over the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, have been recovered. According to a statement released by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, the technical investigation committee that is handling the EgyptAir flight 804 incident has received the two recorders and will hand them over to the Central Department for Aircraft Accidents at the Ministry of Civil Aviation for Egypt for further inspection.
Aircraft Flight Data Recorder. Photo: National Transportation Safety Board. (NTSB).
Now that the two recorders have been retrieved, investigators can begin analyzing all of the data transmitted by the downed Airbus A320’s various systems to begin determining what caused the aircraft to disappear from radar and crash over the Mediterranean Sea. FDRs monitor parameters such as altitude, airspeed and heading among others, while the CVR records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot’s voices and engine noises.
“The analysis of data may take several weeks. If the memory units at both recorders are in good condition, then the unloading process will start right away at the labs of the Central Department for Aircraft Investigation. Whereas if there is a minor damage at both or either of them, the damage will be repaired locally; but if the damage is major, then the repair process will be conducted abroad under the supervision of the Investigation Committee. It is worth mentioning that the technical investigation for the accident does not end by extracting data from the retrieved recorders, which is considered of a major importance but still act as part of the exclusive investigation process,” the Egyptian CAA said in a statement Friday.