KUALA LUMPUR: The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated Beechcraft 390 aircraft that killed 10 people will be sent to the United States for further analysis after attempts by a Singapore laboratory to extract data from its memory puck failed, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the CVR was initially sent to the Singapore laboratory on Saturday, but there were technical issues and limitations that prevented the retrieval of the audio recording.
His ministry then contacted the CVR’s Florida-based original equipment manufacturer and arranged for the memory puck – a component that contains voice recording data from the plane – to be analysed by the manufacturer’s experts.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team that went to Singapore will brief him on its findings before the ministry decides on the next move, he added.
Loke said plans are being made for the AAIB team to go to Florida in the United States with the memory puck by today as the manufacturer will have the best chance of retrieving its data as quickly as possible.
When asked why the CVR’s memory puck was sent overseas for analysis, Loke said this was to provide the victims’ families with answers as quickly as possible.
“Procuring the necessary equipment to extract data from the memory puck would take too long, possibly many months.
“This is not about national pride but about ensuring it is done as quickly as possible, as the priority now is getting the data and answers as quickly as possible for the victims’ families.
“It will also be a lesson for us on what needs to be improved and what we need to procure in case of any similar incidents in the future,” he told a press conference after speaking at the Malaysian Aviation Safety Seminar 2023 here yesterday.
Loke said data from the CVR would also be key in forming a clear picture of the events that led to the tragedy in the AIBB’s preliminary report to the International Civil Aviation Organisation that needs to be filed within 30 days.
“A detailed report of the tragedy may likely take many months or even a year,” he added.
In the incident last Thursday, a Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 aircraft flying from Langkawi to Subang crashed onto the Guthrie Corridor Expressway, killing all eight people on board as well as an ehailing driver and a delivery rider who were on the highway at the time.
According to Loke, the aircraft’s CVR was recovered the next day and sent to the Singapore laboratory after the AAIB was unable to extract data from the memory puck.
