Investigators are examining the 鈥渂lack box鈥� voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of the Airbus A300 plane that crashed in New York on Monday, in the hope of discovering what caused the tragedy.
American Airlines flight 587 smashed into a residential area in the Queens district of the city. All 260 people aboard were killed, as were at least two people on the ground.
One of the plane鈥檚 engines, or part of it, and pieces of the wing fell from the plane before it crashed, the US Federal Aviation Authority confirmed on Tuesday. The cause is unclear but the engine could have suffered massive mechanical failure, perhaps involving an explosion, and then been detached from the wing. Or it could have broken away from the wing due to poor maintenance.
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鈥淭he fact that the engine fell off indicates either an explosion or massive instability,鈥� says Phillip Butterworth-Hayes, editor of Jane鈥檚 Aircraft Component Manufacturer.
Eyewitnesses report hearing an explosion shortly before the plane crashed and others say they saw flames coming from one of the plane鈥檚 engines. Investigators from the National Transport Safety Board have not yet ruled out the possibility that a bomb was aboard the plane, but have listened to the plane鈥檚 cockpit recorder and say there is no evidence that the plane was hijacked.
Accident likely
鈥淓very indication points to this being an accident,鈥� said Marion Blakey, chairwoman of the NTSB. 鈥淎ll the evidence we have points to no evidence of criminal activity.鈥�
However, a more detailed analysis is underway and may provide vital clues. A sound spectrum analysis on the voice recording could confirm or discount an explosion.
鈥淲e have not had a complete read out [from the recorder] yet,鈥� an NTSB spokesman told 快猫短视频. 鈥淲e are hoping to get more information today.鈥�
The plane鈥檚 in-flight data recorder has not yet been recovered. This records data from the plane鈥檚 engines, mechanics and electronics.
Safety record
Although the Airbus A300 has a relatively good safety record, the plane鈥檚 engine, a General Electric CF6 class, has recently been identified as a source of mechanical difficulties.
The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive on 5 October calling for increased safety checks of CF6-80C2 engines following reports of problems that could cause metal fragments to break away from the engine.
In May 2000, a passenger jet in Portugal was forced to make an emergency landing after its CF6 engine suffered difficulties. And in September 2000, part of a CF6 series engine broke away and damaged an aircraft undergoing a maintenance run on the ground at Philadelphia International airport.
However, one expert says that this sort of safety directive is common and does not necessarily mean that planes should be grounded. General Electric told CNN that it had complied with this directive.