US NTSB helps China download voice record of crashed Boeing jet

The USNational Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday it was assisting Chinese investigators with thedownloadof the cockpitvoicerecorder in Washington from anChinaEastern AirlinesBoeing737-800jetas it sent a team of investigators toChina.

The USsafety board told Reuters it was helping the Civil Aviation Administration ofChina"with thedownloadof the cockpitvoicerecorder fromChinaEastern Flight 5735 in our lab in Washington."

China's decision to send a key piece of evidence to Washington for assistance shows the urgency of the investigation at a time when two nations have been at odds at other issues.

The planecrashedinto a mountainside in southernChinaon March 21 killing all 132 on board and was mainlandChina's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years. Recovery crews on Sunday found the second black box - the flight datarecorder - in the wreckage.

The cockpitvoicerecorder will likely provide investigators with details of communications between the flight's three pilots, which is one more than is normally required on board theBoeingplane.

Earlier Friday, theNTSBsaid a team of three investigators had left forChinato assist in the crash probe. TheNTSBsaid "investigators will limit interactions with those outside of investigation similar to safety protocols at Beijing Olympics, which will allow them to begin work immediately without a quarantine."

The team includes the USaccredited representative Sathya Silva, who is anNTSBsenior aviation accident investigator.

AnNTSBspokesman said the USteam was traveling on a commercial flight. It was not clear if the team will travel to the crash site inChinaand for how the long team will be inChinabut it could be several weeks.

TheNTSBalso said a small team fromBoeingis also travelingChinato assist in the investigation.

CAAC News, a publication under the Chinese aviation regulator, said on Saturday that theNTSBgroup of seven investigators and technical advisers had arrived inChina.

Under an international agreement, theNTSBhas the right to participate since the plane was designed and built in the United States.

On Thursday, Chinese state media said the cause of the crash must be determined as soon as possible, following a meeting ofChina's highest decision-making body helmed by President Xi Jinping.

Information about the crash must be released in an open, timely and transparent manner, state media said in a report on the meeting of the seven-person Standing Committee of the Communist Party's politburo,China's top leadership.

A nationwide safety inspection should also be launched to prevent as much as possible the occurrence of safety accidents, state media said. If accidents do happen due to negligence, not only will the personnel in charge be punished, the relevant top officials will also be investigated, state media said.

Watch |Political Uncertainties might affect US-Pakistan diplomatic ties