Singaporean team helping to recover data from crashed plane's cockpit voice recorder

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the aircraft that crashed near Elmina in Shah Alam last Thursday has been sent to a laboratory in Singapore for analysis, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

He said the Malaysian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) faced difficulties in retrieving data from the charred CVR, whose memory puck was still intact.

He said experts in Singapore would retrieve data from the final 30 minutes of voice recording captured in the memory puck before the crash happened.

"Since we do not have the equipment to retrieve the data, the memory puck was sent to Singapore yesterday," he said, adding that the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau Singapore would help to retrieve the data.

Speaking at a press conference after attending the ministry's Semarak Merdeka ceremony and monthly assembly in Putrajaya today, Loke hoped all parties would give time to the authorities to get an analysis of the recording.

"We do not know how long (it would take) but we are doing our best to get the recording. We will make an announcement once it is available. We want to do it fast, but there are technical issues to overcome," he said, adding that AAIB head Tan Chee Kee has gone to Singapore to get the data.

Loke said a report on the preliminary investigation into the crash, prepared by AAIB with the help of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), would be released within a month.

"NTSB representatives were asked to assist in the probe because the aircraft was registered in the US," he said.

The Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 aircraft flying from Langkawi to Subang crashed onto the Guthrie Highway at about 2.50pm on Aug 17, killing all eight people onboard, including Pahang state executive councillor Johari Harun.

An e-hailing driver and a p-hailing rider on the highway were also killed.