Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the plane crash at LaGuardia airport, with early analysis already underway and key findings expected soon.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said the cockpit voice recorder “was not damaged,” and has already been transported to Washington, D.C. for analysis.
She explained that in order to get to the recorders, the NTSB, Port Authority and emergency responders cut a hole in the roof of the aircraft. The recorders were then taken back to the NTSB’s labs in Washington, D.C.
“They’ve been able to at least verify that the cockpit voice recorder was not damaged,” Homendy said, adding that work on the flight data recorder will begin Tuesday. “My hope is that we’ll have information to share on that tomorrow.”
Homendy said investigators are working to determine key details, including the position of the aircraft and the fire truck in the moments before the crash.
“That is actually what …we hope to get from the FDR,” she said.
The investigation also includes reviewing surveillance footage and air traffic control data, including a replay of the airport surface detection system used by controllers.
Homendy noted the crash scene is extensive, with debris spread across multiple areas of the runway and taxiway.
“It’s pretty expansive,” she said, adding that investigators must carefully document and collect evidence before removing wreckage — a process expected to take days.
