Commercial

Colombian Plane Crash Black Boxes Found, Authorities Point to Loss of Fuel

By Juliet Van Wagenen | December 1, 2016
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Flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of LaMia Bolivia airlines flight 2933. Photo: Aerocivil Colombia
Flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of LaMia Bolivia airlines flight 2933. Photo: Aerocivil Colombia

[Avionics Magazine 12-01-2016] “Staff from [the Colombian Aviation Authority] located two black boxes in perfect state from the airplane that crashed in Antioquia,” the Colombian Aviation Authority reported on its twitter feed, reporting the recovery of the undamaged Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) from the Nov. 29 Lamia Airlines Flight 2933 plane crash that killed almost all on board just outside of Medellin airport in Colombia.

The LAMIA Bolivia flight was carrying 81 people, including much of the Chapecoense de Brazil soccer team, 21 journalists and nine crew members when it went down en route from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Medellin, according to the aviation authority. The flight originated in Brazil before stopping in Santa Cruz. According to Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority, six passengers originally survived the crash.

As thoughts turn to investigating the cause of the crash of the Avro RJ85 aircraft, authorities involved, including the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Board (AAIB) as well as local authorities, are still working to uncover the data from the flight’s black boxes. Director of the Colombian Aviation Authority Alfredo Bocanegra said at a press conference on Dec. 1 that after inspecting the crash site and plane wreckage, the lack of charring has made it apparent that the aircraft did not have fuel at the moment of impact, a video from the Telegraph reports.

“The fuel is likely what caused this tragedy, but still, nothing is confirmed,” Bocanegra is quoted as saying on the agency’s twitter page.

Local aviation regulations require aircraft to have enough reserve fuel to fly for 30 minutes after reaching their destination.

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