Safety

Pictures: Italian air accident investigators recover data on Air Algérie L100-30 Hercules crash

By Helen Massy-Beresford

Italian crash investigators have succeeded in extracting data from the cockpit voice recorder of an Air Algérie Lockheed Martin L100-30 Hercules that crashed in northern Italy late last month, despite the “disastrous” condition in which it was found. 

Flight has obtained photos (below) showing the crash scene and the condition of the cockpit voice recorder when it arrived in the Agenzia Nazionale della Sicurezza del Volo’s (ANSV) facilities.  

Extracting the ribbon and decoding it was a “demanding job” but the content is complete, and the information is “valid and comprehensible”, says the ANSV.  

The aircraft crashed in a field just outside Piacenza, northern Italy, en route from Algiers to Frankfurt, killing the three crew on board.  ANSV said the aircraft (7T-VHG) was in contact with Milan air traffic control at 24,000ft (7,300m) but lost contact as it descended through 13,500ft for an unknown reason.

All images © ANSV