The black box recovered from a plane that crashed in Nepal is being sent to Singapore for analysis, officials said.
Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be examined by experts at Singapore’s Transportation Safety Investigation Bureau to identify the cause of the smash, which killed all 72 people on board.
“The Nepal investigating team is leaving on Friday with the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder where the data will be downloaded and analysed,” said Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Rajendra Kumar KC.
There were suggestions the black box should be taken to France, where the aircraft was made, but Nepalese authorities decided against the idea.
A committee formed by the government is still looking into the cause of the Yeti Airlines flight crash.
Rescuers are combing the hillside for the remains of two people still missing since the accident on January 15 at the resort town of Pokhara, 125 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu.
The twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft was approaching Pokhara International Airport in the Himalayan foothills when it plummeted into a gorge about one mile from the runway at an elevation of about 820 metres (2,700 feet).
While it is still not clear what caused the crash, some aviation experts say video taken from the ground of the plane’s last moments indicated it went into a stall, though it is unclear why.
It was carrying 68 passengers, including 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members.
The foreigners included five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.
The Irishman was named as Ruan Calum Crighton.
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority has also said the airport’s instrument landing system will not be working until February 26 — eight weeks after the airport began operations on January 1.
Aviation safety experts said the absence reflects the poor air safety record in Nepal, where mountainous terrain and the resulting variable weather conditions make flying difficult.
