Diver dies in search for Lion Air crash, main fuselage found
Pieces of the flight data recorder from the Lion Air passenger jet that crashed after takeoff from Jakarta on Monday have been retrieved on Thursday, according to CNN.
On Saturday, is was reported that divers found the main fuselage and could hear pinging from the cockpit voice recorded. Sadly, a diver lost his life during the search after being found unconscious by his dive partner.
Strong currents are not uncommon in the area, and have been in full force all week across the Java Sea.
These strong currents are part of the reason it took several days to find the black box piece, even though the sea floor is only about 30 meters (98 feet) in the crash-site area, according to Reuters.
Currents will likely continue to inhibit recovery and search efforts.
Shoes and debris retrieved from the waters near where a Lion Air jet is believed to have crashed are laid out for investigation at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Now with the black box, which records the technical specs of the airplane during flight, has been found, it should help to pinpoint the exact cause for the plane crash.
Once the cockpit voice recorder is recovered, more questions regarding the crash may be answered.
The plane, which was flying from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, requested a return to land only two to three minutes after takeoff before crashing into the Java Sea to the northeast of Jakarta.
All 189 people who were on board the airplane, which crashed less than 15 minutes after takeoff, are believed to have lost their lives, according to the Associated Press.
The weather at the time of the crash was fair under a partly sunny sky and light winds; however, a technical issue was reported on the plane’s previous flight.
In this May 12, 2012, file photo, a Lion Air passenger jet is parked on the tarmac at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Trisnadi, File)
Several people who were on the plane's previous flight said that an unusual engine roar was reported before and during take off.
More than 300 people were involved in the rescue operations Monday afternoon. Cell phones, ID cards and luggage were found in the initial hours of the search, according to CNN.
The plane was only in operation for two months before the crash occurred.
On Wednesday, a large object was detected in the search area and officials were hopeful they had found the downed plane, according to the AP. Divers found a sunken vessel instead of the plane's fuselage. The divers did discover more debris and clothing on the ocean floor.
Several bodies were discovered as search efforts continued on Thursday and Friday.
Only an isolated shower or thunderstorm will be seen across the region through the beginning of the week as search and recovery operations continue.
This crash is now more deadly than the AirAsia crash in December 2014, when 162 people were killed.
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