Black box search continues in the air<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): The search for the illusive black
\nbox of the ill-fated Garuda Indonesia plane that crashed on
\nFriday took to the skies yesterday as investigators retraced the
\nfinal approach of the plane by helicopter.<\/p>\n
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission led by Oetrajo
\nDiran boarded a Pelita Air Service helicopter and viewed the
\ncrash site from above.<\/p>\n
But the search failed to locate the flight data and cockpit
\nvoice recorder, commonly referred to as the black box.<\/p>\n
Upon returning to his hotel in Medan, Diran, still wearing a
\nmuddy pair of boots, went directly to his room and shunned away
\nall questions from journalists.<\/p>\n
Flight GA-152 from Jakarta crashed minutes before it was to
\nland at Medan's Polonia Airport. All 234 aboard the Airbus A-300-
\nB4 perished.<\/p>\n
There has been no explanation on the cause of the crash but
\nspeculation has been growing the past few days that it may have
\nbeen a result of human error.<\/p>\n
A widely circulated transcript of the supposed final
\nconversation between the pilot and control tower at Polonia
\nindicates that there was some confusion on the heading the plane
\nshould have taken.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said Tuesday
\nthat the government would study the validity of the transcript
\nadding that thus far there had been no official release of a
\ntranscript.<\/p>\n
It is still unknown who circulated the controversial
\ntranscript.<\/p>\n
All eyes are now focused on the black box which could confirm
\nor deny whether the crash was a result of human error.<\/p>\n
The head of the Ministry of Transportation's provincial
\noffice, Ashwin Harahap, denied yesterday that his office had
\nreleased a copy of the conversation between the control tower and
\nthe pilot.<\/p>\n
Ashwin also told The Jakarta Post that despite extensive
\nefforts, the black box was still missing.<\/p>\n
He said the use of a helicopter to search the site of the
\ncrash was a direct request from Diran.<\/p>\n
At the crash site, near Buah Nadar village, search teams tried
\nto bring in heavy equipment yesterday to help rummage through the
\nwreckage of the plane.<\/p>\n
While all the bodies have been evacuated, much of the plane's
\nwreckage remains scattered in a wide area.<\/p>\n
Separately, North Sumatra Police spokesman Lt. Col. Amrin
\nKarim denied reports that psychics were being employed to help
\nfind the black box.<\/p>\n
He maintained that Mobile Brigade officers were still the
\nprimary personnel in the search.<\/p>\n
But if there were psychics assisting, it was merely through
\npeople's individual initiative, he said.<\/p>\n
"We never asked for psychics," he asserted. (10\/21)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/black-box-search-continues-in-the-air-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }