UPDATE: The Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) announced Monday that their investigation team completed work at FlyDubai 981’s crash site. The aircraft fragments and evidence will be moved inside for further analysis.
The committee said that it was able to recover “satisfactory” data from the plane’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) which was badly damaged upon impact with the ground. All cockpit voice and flight data until the point of impact was downloaded, and investigators will now piece together that information along with ATC data and other weather information available.
(Image: Interstate Aviation Committee)
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FlyDubai flight 981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don crashed while attempting to land on Saturday. All 62 aboard the flight are presumed dead, and the cause of the crash is not yet known.
A statement by FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al Ghaith said the flight crashed at 00:50 GMT, and was carrying 55 passengers and 7 crew members. Emergency crews have been working at the site and have successfully recovered the plane’s two black boxes. The flight was operated by a Boeing 737-800 (tail number A6-FDN) which is approximately five years old.
According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24 the flight attempted a first landing, but was required to “go around” and set up to try to land again approximately two hours later, when it ultimately crashed. There was no distress call noted in the air traffic control audio.
#FZ981 was climbing after a go-around when it suddenly started to fall with vertical speed of up to 21000 feet/min pic.twitter.com/Ol6qmxLDZW
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 19, 2016
Rostov-on-Don airport remains closed until midnight on Saturday; Aeroflot has already canceled some flights on Sunday.
Investigators from Boeing have been dispatched to the crash location and will serve as technical advisors for the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee, the lead agency in the investigation.
NTSB to assist Russian MAK with investigation involving B737 airplane that crashed in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
— NTSB (@NTSB) March 19, 2016
