The tape of the third flight data recorder from the Tu-154 plane of the Russian Defense Ministry has been deformed but it may be partly deciphered, a law enforcement source told TASS on Dec. 29.
"The third black box, which was in the tail section, duplicates the parameters of the two others that are in Moscow. Its tape has been found and it is seriously deformed but it can be decoded," the source said. The black box itself has been destroyed.
The condition of the two other flight data recorders - the cockpit voice recorder and the main one (that records parametric data) is satisfactory. "Their decoding is taking place in Moscow," the source said.
At present, all the debris of the Tu-154 plane has been pulled from the water. More than 1,800 fragments of the plane have been found. A total of 19 bodies and 239 body parts have been recovered.
A Russian Defense Ministry Tu-154 plane bound for Syria crashed in the early morning hours of December 25 shortly after taking off from the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. There were 92 people on board the aircraft, including eight crew members and 84 passengers.
Source: Tass