Makassar. Search and rescue teams have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from an ATR 42-500 aircraft that crashed in South Sulawesi last week, with the devices sent to Jakarta for investigation, authorities said on Wednesday.

The aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, went down four days earlier while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, carrying 10 people, including seven crew members.

The combined flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — commonly known as the black box — was found still attached to the aircraft’s tail section, lodged around 150 meters below the summit of Mount Bulusaraung, said Colonel Dodog Triyo Hadi, who was involved in the rescue operation.

“Search efforts were focused on the rear section of the fuselage. Once the position was confirmed, technical teams detached the device from its mounting on the tail,” Dodog said.

The extraction process took several hours due to the unstable position of the wreckage on steep terrain. The recovery and transport of the black box were carried out under tight security to preserve its physical integrity, he added.

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Soerjanto Tjahjono said the flight recorders arrived in Jakarta later the same day.

“We will immediately begin the investigation to examine the final cockpit communications,” Soerjanto said.

Preliminary findings suggest the aircraft deviated from its assigned flight path while descending for landing in Makassar and subsequently struck a hillside.

Recordings of the final exchanges with air traffic control indicate the pilot had requested a brief climb shortly before contact was lost. In its Jakarta laboratory, the KNKT will synchronize altitude data from the flight recorder with local weather fluctuations recorded on the day of the crash, Jan. 17.

Recovery operations at the crash site remain challenging due to deep ravines and rugged mountainous terrain. As of Wednesday, authorities said two bodies had been recovered, with search efforts continuing for the remaining victims.

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