Recorder Being Taken To Canada For Analysis

Kenya Airways CEO Titus Naikuni confirmed Friday the cockpit voice recorder of Flight 507 that crashed in Cameroon May 5 killing all 114 aboard was uncovered by a joint investigation team at the crash site in Douala.

Arrangements were being made over the weekend to bring the recorder to Canada, according to the Associated Press.

Twenty-two Cameroon firemen, eight motor pumps operators, and a Cameroon accident investigation team and the Kenyan team, comprising the joint investigation team, also recovered additional engine parts, including fan blades, according to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

Last week a team of US investigators reported picking up signals of the device. Analysis of the voice recorder could disclose the recordings of the flight deck conversations between the crew as well as conversations with the control tower in Douala.

As Aero-News first reported, Flight KQ 507 was bound for Nairobi and went missing shortly after takeoff from Douala.

The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 106 passengers, eight crew members and a flight engineer. Kenya Airway's Naikuni had said the plane took off an hour late because of rain; Douala airport officials confirmed thunderstorms at the time, but said that was unlikely to have been the sole cause of the accident.

A preliminary review of the analysis of the plane's data recorder, which was found last month, showed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction, according to the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority. A full report of what led to the crash, according to the authority, could take as long as a year.

The preliminary investigation also found that all crew members were sufficiently trained and certified according to expected aviation guidelines.

The preliminary report, which was issued Monday, also noted that the jetliner reached 3,000 feet before nose-diving sharply at a 45-degree angle "for undetermined reasons"; the plane disintegrated on impact.

Investigators also plan to review the performance of the flight crew, said the report, and consider if there were any regulatory oversights.

The NTSB is assisting Cameroon in the investigation, along with aviation authorities from Kenya and Canada.

FMI: www.kenya-airways.com, www.kcaa.or.ke