Black boxes located as investigation into Indonesian jet crash continues

Indonesian officials announced Sunday that the black boxes of a passenger jet carrying 62 people that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday have been located. Divers are expected to be able to retrieve the two flight recorders soon.

It's still unclear what caused the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 to crash shortly after taking off from Jakarta, but it's possible weather played a role. "While we have to wait for the final report of the investigation ... the preliminary data appears" to point to "possible disorientation in the cockpit, to which the bad weather is a factor," aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman told Bloomberg. Before takeoff, the flight was delayed for 30 minutes because of heavy rain. There are, however, several other potential explanations for the crash, and more light will be shed if and when there's access to the black boxes.

The aircraft, which was 26 years old but reportedly in good condition, did not send a distress signal and is thought to have dropped more than 10,000 feet in less than a minute. Investigators said the plane broke apart upon hitting the water, ruling out a midair breakup.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Search efforts will continue, and it's likely more significant parts of the plane will be recovered, though there appears to be no hope of finding survivors, BBC reports. Read more at Bloomberg and BBC.