Taiwan military recovers flight recorder
24/10/2008 17:15
Days after a Taiwanese military plane crashed, the in-flight recorder, or
black box, has been recovered, local media reported yesterday.
It was found
yesterday off the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, where an Indigenous
Defence Fighter (IDF) jet went down.
According to media reports, it has been
sent to professionals who are investigating the crash.
Altogether, 75 objects
such as ejector seats, life vests, unopened parachutes and helmets of the pilots
have been found. The military is still looking for the pilot's remains.
The
aircraft went missing Monday morning during a routine training flight near the
Penghu islands. It lost contact with ground control 30 minutes after taking off
from the Chingchuankang air force base near Taichung at 9:15 a.m..
The two
pilots aboard the aircraft have been identified as 29-year-old Ku Chih-pin and
31-year-old Chen Chien-ting.
Meanwhile, rescuers are still searching for a
Taiwanese naval helicopter which crashed Tuesday off Hualian.
One crew member
aboard the anti-submarine S70-C helicopter was confirmed dead. Two others were
found with injuries and another two people are still missing.
Chen Chao-min,
chief of the defense department of the Taiwan authority, has apologized for the
crashes, and banned all military aircraft, except for those on regular patrol
and rescue missions, from flying for three days until special inspections are
done.
Xinhua
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