Photo of investigators examining debris of the UPS cargo plane after it crashed near Birmingham airport
Investigators recovered the flight recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo jet that crashed into a hillside just short of the runway at an Alabama airport, killing two pilots, officials today.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Weiss said the devices were found but declined to elaborate. Investigators had been combing the tail section of the plane, which is where the recorders are usually located.
Late on Thursday morning, a reporter observed an investigator carrying a box-like object from the tail section. Investigators gathered around it for a moment, then put it on an ATV and left without commenting.
The two devices could hold key evidence about what happened as the jet was attempting to land in Birmingham early Wednesday.
The plane broke into several pieces and caught fire. The pilot and co-pilot were the only people aboard.
People living near the airfield reported seeing flames coming from the aircraft and hearing its engines struggle in the final moments before impact. One couple said the tops of trees around their property had been knocked down and chunks of metal that appeared to be from the plane landed in their yard.
The plane was built in 2003 and had logged about 11,000 flight hours over 6,800 flights, Airbus said in a news release.
The A300, Airbus' first plane, began flying in 1972. Airbus quit building them in 2007 after making a total of 816 A300 and A310s. The model was retired from US passenger service in 2009.
Wednesday's crash comes nearly three years after another UPS cargo plane crashed in the United Arab Emirates, just outside Dubai. Both pilots were killed.