The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from Air Niugini Flight 073, which crashed landed in the Chuuk Lagoon, has been recovered.
Minister for Civil Aviation, Alfred Manase, announced this recently.
The CVR is a vital device for investigators as they aim to find out the circumstances behind the crash landing of PX Flight 073 in the Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).
The Minister said the CVR was retrieved at 1:40pm on Friday 5th October by US Navy divers.
The CVR preserves the recent history of the sounds in and around the cockpit, including communication between the aircraft and air traffic control and the conversations of the pilots.
He said the FSM Investigator-In-Charge has advised them that the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System and the Flight Management Computer from the aircraft will be downloaded and analyzed in the US by the National Transport Safety Board.
The Minster said a preliminary report is expected to be published by the FSM national government by the end of October.
He added it is a complex investigation and the final report is expected to take a number of months to complete.
Meanwhile, the Minister said Air Niugini is fully cooperating with the FSM investigations.
(Minister for Civil Aviation, Alfred Manase)