BLACK BOX RECOVERED FROM BLACK SEA AIRBUS CRASH SITE – MINISTER

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 22 2006

SOCHI, May 22 (RIA Novosti) — Emergency teams have recovered one of
the two flight recorders from an Airbus that crashed in the Black Sea
May 3 with the loss of 113 people, Russia’s transportation minister
said Monday.

Igor Levitin said the black box recorded the conversation between
the pilot and crew and had been buried under 20-50 centimeters of silt.

Levitin said the search for the other box, which recorded flight
data and was thought to be lying 3-5 meters (10-16 feet) away from
the first one, would continue into the night.

Rescuers’ data showed that the A-320’s black boxes were at a depth of
496 meters (1,627 feet) and 5 meters (16 feet) apart from each other.

The airliner operated by Armenia’s Armavia flying from the Armenian
capital, Yerevan, came down May 3 in stormy weather six kilometers
(3.7 miles) from Adler airport, which services the popular Russian
resort of Sochi.