(Reuters) – Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency has found a black box flight recorder from a Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed during a demonstration flight killing all 45 people on board, an agency official said on Wednesday.
The aircraft crashed on May 9 on the slopes of a dormant volcano about 40 miles south of Jakarta.
Those on the flight to show off the passenger jet unveiled in 2007 as part of a drive to restore pride in Russia’s aviation industry included Indonesian businessmen, Russian embassy officials and journalists.
Wreckage was found a day later on a steep ridge of Mount Salak.
The item found is the CVR, cockpit voice recorder. I have asked officers on the ground and rescuer to continue the search of FDR (flight data recorder) as well as the evacuation operation, agency head Daryatmo told reporters near the crash site.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 was developed with Western design advice and technology from companies including Italy’s Finmeccanica, as well as avionics and engine equipment from French aerospace firms Thales and Safran.
The jet, with a capacity of up to 103 passengers, is already in service with Russia’s Aeroflot and Armenian carrier Armavia and is half way through a 15,500-km (9,630-mile), six-nation Asian tour to try to drum up more international customers.
The aircraft is being marketed internationally in partnership with Finmeccanica subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica.
(Reporting by Budi Satriawan and Prasto; Writing by Rieka Rahadiana; Editing byMatthew Bigg and Robert Birsel)
