"This morning, the black box was handed over to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). KNKT said that the black box is in good condition and the data is 99 percent readable," Basarnas Operations Director, Rear Admiral Yudhi Bramantyo, stated on Friday.
The black box was given to the KNKT for further investigation of the cause of the helicopter crash.
Bramantyo mentioned that the black box was found still attached to the helicopter's intact tail section, while the helicopter's body was charred.
During the search operation, he noted that the search and rescue team found the black box several meters from the helicopter wreckage on Thursday during the recovery efforts.
The helicopter wreckage was found at 03° 5'6" S - 115° 37'39.07" E in a forest area around Emil Baru Village, Mentewe Sub-district, Tanah Bumbu, South Kalimantan, on Wednesday (September 3) at around 2:45 local time, after losing contact on Monday (September 1) at 8:54 local time.
The helicopter was found approximately 700 meters from the coordinates previously provided by the KNKT.
The On-Scene Commander (OSC) deployed all ground Search and Rescue Units (SRUs) to the location to expedite the recovery process, ultimately successfully recovering all the bodies on Thursday at around 9:50 local time.
The eight bodies included a pilot named Captain Haryanto from Batam, Riau Islands, a technician named Hendra Darmawan (Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi), and six passengers: Mark Werren (Australia), Santha Kumar Prabhakaran (India), Claudine Pereira Quito (Brazil), Iboy Irfan Rosa (Kuantan Singingi, Riau), Yudi Febrian Rahman (Pekanbaru, Riau), and Andys Rissa Pasulu (Balikpapan, East Kalimantan).
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Translator: Tumpal Andani, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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