Indonesia downloads data from flight recorder of downed Sriwijaya Air jet

Indonesian investigators have successfully downloaded information from the flight data recorder (FDR) of the Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea last week, its transport safety agency said on Friday.

"(It's) all in good condition and we're now examining the data," National Transportation Safety Committee head Soerjanto Tjahjono said in a statement.

The recorder, which includes information about the speed, altitude and direction of the plane, could supply critical clues as to whythe aircraft plunged about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) in less than a minute before crashing into waters off the capital Jakarta on Saturday.

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Parameters is a reference to the amount of data recorded from various aircraft systems including the flight path, speed, engine power and flaps configurations.

Flight SJ 182 crashed into the Java Sea minutes after take-off from Jakarta with 62 people on board on January9, destroying the 26-year-old Boeing Co 737-500.

KNKT said the FDR data confirmed that both of the plane's engines had been operating when the plane hit the water, as it had earlier stated based on the wreckage.

The maritime search for the plane's other "black box", the cockpit voice recorder, continued on Friday.

KNKT plans to issue a preliminary report within 30 days of the crash in line with international standards, the agency's head told Reuters on Thursday.

The Sriwijaya crash is the biggest airline disaster in Indonesia since October 2018, when 189 people were killed onboard a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX that plunged into the Java Sea soon after take-off.