VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTKR) The Navy has announced that they have recovered the jet’s flight incident recorder. It is similar to a black box used in a commercial jet.
Officials say that it does not record the cockpit communication.
This piece of evidence is key to the investigation because it could tell them what happened before the crash.
Investigators are still on the scene going through the debris. Crews are still cleaning the area as well. Everyone working in the “red zone” is required to wear protective gear.
Officials say that the air is being sampled and monitored. They also stated that the waterways are being protected so that no contamination gets into it.
Now crews are looking for any clues that could help them figure out what happened on Friday when the F/A-18 crashed into the Mayfair Mews apartment complex.
The Navy says that an instructor and a student, who ejected from the jet before it crashed, are both back home with family.
The commanding officer says he is confident that the pilots did what they were trained to do in an emergency.
“They stayed with the aircraft as long as possible to ensure that they tried to recover the aircraft and tried to minimize the damage,” he says.
Crews are still working to preserve what is left of the jet.
The Navy believes this could have been a mechanical malfunction and now the Aviation Mishap Board is investigating the crash.
