SHAH ALAM: The flight data and voice recorders of the MMEA AW139 helicopter which crashed off off Kuala Selangor on March 5, were recovered today (April 17) after 44 days of searching. The previous report on the search for the recorders – better known as black boxes in the media.

MMEA director-general Admiral (Maritime) Hamid Mohd Amin said the recorders – were located 760 metres from the crash site, some 1.9 nautical miles south of Pulau Angsa.

Hamid said the devices were sent to a laboratory for data analysis to determine the exact cause of the incident.

“We expect to receive the analysis results soon, since the black boxes were not severely damaged,” he said in a statement.

Hamid said the search operation involved twenty-one divers who faced strong currents and limited visibility due to a muddy seabed. The search was supported by the navy’s National Hydrographic Centre sonar crew, the Air Accident Investigation Bureau, and other maritime and aviation units.

The four crew men on board the MMEA helicopter AW139 M72-01 were rescued in the incident off Pulau Angsa, located some 30 minutes by boat from the nearest jetty in Jeram, Kuala Selangor. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), the helicopter left the Subang airport at 9.10am for a training flight.

The last contact made with the helicopter was at 9.20am and though no distress call was received, a search and rescue operation were activated to find the helicopter.

The wreck of the helicopter was recovered in the early hours of March 6. The wreck was then transported to the MMEA air wing base adjacent to the Subang airport. According to MMEA, tail number 01 has logged in some 5,000 hours since her entry into service in 2010.

— Malaysian Defence

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