AirAsia Jet’s Tail Lifted From Sea, But No Black Boxes Found

INDONESIA-SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA-AVIATION-AIRASIA

A tail section from the crashed AirAsia plane  became the first major wreckage lifted off the ocean floor on Saturday, but the all-important black boxes were nowhere to be found inside.   reports:

The red metal chunk, with the words “AirAsia” clearly visible across it, was brought to the surface using inflatable balloons.

The cockpit voice and flight data recorders, located in the plane’s rear, must have detached when the Airbus A320 plummeted into the waters Dec. 28, said Indonesian military commander Gen. Moeldoko. Their recovery is essential to finding out why Flight 8501 crashed.

However, Moeldoko, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said pings believed to be coming from the black boxes were detected Saturday. Their beacons emit signals for about 30 days until the batteries die, meaning divers have about two weeks left to find them.

“I am fully confident that the black boxes are still not far from the tail,” Moeldoko said.

The debris was brought up from a depth of about 30 meters (100 feet) and towed to a ship, where it was hoisted onto the deck. The vertical stabilizer was still largely intact, but the attached jagged fuselage was ripped open and tangled by a mess of wires.