Divers recovered the crashed Lion Air jet's flight data recorder from the seafloor on Thursday, a crucial development in the investigation into what caused the 2-month-old plane to plunge into Indonesian seas earlier this week, killing 189 people.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane crashed early Monday just minutes after takeoff from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
It was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia in more than two decades and renewed concerns about safety in its fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from the European Union and U.S. blacklists.
An object believed to be the aircraft's fuselage was also seen on the seafloor.
The search for the cockpit voice recorder continues.
U.S. investigators on Thursday visited the Jakarta port and picked through debris collected from the sea including pieces of aircraft and passenger belongings.
Data from flight-tracking sites show the plane had erratic speed and altitude in the early minutes of a flight on Sunday and on its fatal flight Monday. Safety experts caution, however, that the data must be checked for accuracy against the flight data recorder.
Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one of Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. It has been expanding aggressively in Southeast Asia, a fast-growing region of more than 600 million people.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)
Pictures: Fauzy Chaniago
