This is an Airlines/Airport Examiner exclusive report. While a ship of the U.S. Navy, the USS Ramage (DDG-61), had located radio signals from the "black boxes" onboard ET-409, the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 which went down into Mediterranean waters off the coast of Lebanon shortly after taking off in a storm last Monday, January 25, recovering the devices is proving more difficult.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Laboratory experts work on DNA samples to identify the bodies of victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 plane that crashed into the sea on Monday, at Beirut's government hospital, Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein); (BELOW RIGHT TOP) An airplane, background, is seen landing at Beirut international airport as Lebanese policeman, foreground, stand guards at a beach where Lebanese people gather for watching rescue teams search for debris and bodies of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 (AP Photo/Hussein Malla); (BELOW LEFT TOP) Odyssey Explorer, sister ship to the Ocean Alert (Photo Credit - Odyssey Marine Explorations); (BELOW RIGHT LOWER) Odyssey Marine Explorations Remote Ocean Vehicle (ROV) (Photo Credit - Odyssey Marine Explorations); (BELOW LEFT LOWER) A Lebanese Army helicopter continues the search for remains of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed into the sea on Monday, along the shoreline south of Beirut in Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A slide show showing scenes of recovery efforts follows this article.
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A private American company which has had previous success in locating and recovering both downed aircraft and sunken treasure from fabled shipwrecks in the deep oceans has been trolling the crash site waters with sophisticated sonar equipment trailing behind its ship, Ocean Alert.
Aladar Nesser of U.S.-based Odyssey Marine Explorations, which sent the Ocean Alert to help in the search, was quoted in an AP dispatch as saying that cables equipped with sonar stretched nearly 2 miles (3 kilometers) behind the ship and down to within 165 feet (50 meters) of the sea bed.
"That provides a mapping of what's down on the bottom of the sea," Nesser said. "That imagery is good enough to be able to distinguish the wreckage of the airplane."
To learn more, and to answer questions raised by our readers around the world, the Airlines/Airport Examiner posed several questions to Tampa, Florida based Odyssey Marine Explorations. Their full email reply by Greg Stemm, Odyssey CEO & Co-founder, are given below in this exclusive report.
Q. Has your Company engaged in successful previous recovery efforts of aircraft?
"The Odyssey Marine Exploration operations team has extensive experience in finding and recovering aircraft in the deep ocean. The company's marine manager is Roy Truman, whose vast experience includes serving as project manager for the recovery of the solid rocket boosters from the Space Shuttle Challenger, and leading teams during the location and recovery of aircraft parts and components of the Air India 747 crash off the coast of the Republic of Ireland in 2,000 meters of water (6,562 feet) and the South African Airways 747 crash off Mauritius in 4500 meters of water (14,763 feet). Other Odyssey team members have participated in many of the most complicated deep-ocean search and recovery operations conducted during the past 30 years."
Q. Are there special problems operating at the depths in question?
"It is not unusual to find complications when operating in the deep ocean. The very rocky and steep
slopes of the sea bed in the area make this area very difficult to search. However, we have the technology and team needed to carry out a successful operation."
Q. Who has engaged your services?
"The Government of the Republic of Lebanon requested our help."
Q. Why it is taking so long to pinpoint the exact location of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), commonly called "black boxes"?
"Conducting side-scan operations and the search for the black box can be a slow and methodical process to ensure an area is properly covered and that every anomaly is detected. It is important to do it right the first time so that every trace of the accident is detected. The sea bed in the area includes deep undersea canyons, which adds a layer of complication and makes a search very difficult."
Q. Any additional information or comments?
"We consider it a great honor to be trusted with this important responsibility, and will do our utmost to faithfully carry out this investigation in a respectful and reverent manner. The entire Odyssey Marine Exploration team extends their condolences to the families and friends of those lost during this tragic event."
Q. Thank you, Mr. Stemm, for your detailed answers.
We will continue reporting on this important story, and want to thank all of our readers around the world for following these dispatches. There are still many unanswered questions, but rather than speculate, please be patient, and let the facts speak out. We feel confident that the truth will eventually be discovered.
As we have stated to various parties including officials of the Government of Lebanon to whom we have written, our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of those that have perished.
Please leave comments below or by email and subscribe to get future updates.
Comments
Wow- I hope they are able to recover it. It is great to read the Q&A and get a real perspective on what it takes to do such work.
I hope they recover it...
Great reporting, Joel! I love that you have primary source comments from the recovery operations company's CEO. Thanks for progressing the story through this article.
The Israelis would find them in under an hour. Plus, they know that they're RED, so would have infraRED goggles on. Geez.
Joel, your coverage has been phenomenal. The Q & A was wonderful and thorough and definitely shows that there are competent people working on it.
Great scoop! Your coverage has been great. I'm sure you will keep us up on this.
I am really having a hard time understanding how they're still unable to recover the blackbox given that it is not that far from shore nor deep enough to baffle this "experienced" crew.
sounds fishy
Thank you Joe, For 1st time I read some good report about this accident. It's good to know what is exactly going on.
It is amazing they ever find them in the ocean. Hope they find it soon.
Thanks for the detail Joel. Hope you don't quit updating us as i am feeling this is the only site where i am getting sound informations. Once the FDR and VCR are recovered I know interpretation of the data won't that much be difficult unless there is something to hide.
Three unanswered question:
First of all, why so long to get even a clue of the accident after the black box is found? Second, according to the report the Lebanese government seems the only decision making while appointing the investigation company with no involvement from Ethiopian side. Why? Third, the crashed aircraft is made in USA and the investigation company, Odesy also is American. Is there no othe reliable company from a third country?
Suggest that you look at the company SEC filings for the past 9 years to fact check your article
Regarding comments left by Ashe below on February 2, at 1:24 AM, thank you very much for your trust and confidence in these dispatches. We take pride in being fair, accurate, honest, independent and impartial, and strive to maintain high standards in reporting the facts.
We will stay with this story to its conclusion. This is a high profile incident in which citizens from many nations have perished.
Whenever an aircraft goes down, integrity in finding reasons for the crash is the highest priority because this information can save future lives.
We understand there are independent investigators on site from Great Britain, France, Canada, the Republic of Lebanon, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and agencies from the United States including the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration, both of which are very independent, and have well qualified aviation professionals on their staffs.
Thank you again for your comments.
Regarding comment below by Fufa on February 2, at 7:35 AM, your questions are very intelligent and much appreciated. Crash investigations combine scientific inquiry, sifting through evidence, analyzing vast amounts of data from multiple sources, and conducting third party interviews. Often the smallest details, a small part of even a fragment or wire can yield great insights. As a result, these investigations are never rushed. It takes time to find and assemble all the information, to analyze it, and to reach accurate conclusions. The natural environment in this case is also a challenge. I'm sure that investigators are looking at ocean currents, wind direction, rates of drift, meteorological data, and readings from sophisticated instruments and sensors to retrieve the aircraft and its contents. The Republic of Lebanon is playing a lead role in coordinating the investigation because of territorial jurisdiction. Please also see my comment below. Thank you for following my reports.
Regarding comments below by Bob Newman on February 2, at 1:12 PM, thank you Sir for your suggestion. In such important stories, due diligence and fact checking is vital. I will be following up on your advice with further research and through independent contacts.
It was good of you to take the time leave your comments, which are very much appreciated.
Great job Joel!
Simply a great job of coverage and reporting...perhaps they'll locate the elusive electronic recorders soon.
Cheers...
I hope they find the Ethopian airliner's black boxes soon.
You don't seem to be up to speed. They have actually recovered the black box and sent it for analysis to France.
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