PUTRAJAYA: A team of investigators from Singapore is helping local investigators retrieve voice recording data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Beechcraft Premier 1 aircraft that crashed in Elmina on Thursday.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) faced difficulties in obtaining data from the CVR as it was badly damaged.
He said the authorities managed to open the CVR and successfully removed the 'memory puck' component that contained the voice recording data from the plane.
He said the CVR along with the 'memory puck' component had been sent to Singapore's Technical Transport Safety Bureau (TTSB) lab to obtain the last 30 minutes of the voice recording data of the aircraft.
"When the CVR was sent to the AAIB laboratory, (they) found that the CVR was badly damaged on the outside. After that we received an offer of technical assistance from Singapore.
"Their experts came to Malaysia last Friday and the next day managed to open the CVR and remove the 'memory puck' component.
"The 'memory puck' was found to be in good condition, but since we don't have the equipment to retrieve the data in the 'memory puck', it was sent to Singapore yesterday," he said when asked about the development of the plane crash investigation, today.
Speaking to reporters after his ministry's monthly assembly, Loke said at the moment, the AAIB officer who is lading the investigation into the crash, Brig Gen Tan Chee Kee from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), was still in Singapore with other experts to obtain the voice recording data.
He said that due to the imperfect condition of the CVR, he could not give an exact time frame because there were technical issues that had to be overcome by investigation experts.
"It is true that we are trying to get the data involved... the 'memory puck' has been removed and we need to get the data, so far we are still trying in a laboratory in Singapore.
"So I hope all parties will give our experts some time to get the (data) recording (voice in the cockpit) involved," he said.
Loke said the investigative team is expected to issue a preliminary report within a month.
"The investigation will also be assisted by several other parties including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States (US).
"The NTSB is involved in this investigation because the aircraft is made and registered in the US. According to Annex 13-Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO Annex 13), the manufacturer of the aircraft needs to be involved in the investigation, " he added.