WASHINGTON — The flight recorders and wreckage from a cargo jet that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu in July have been recovered, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
Investigators were able to recover all major components from the Boeing 737-200 cargo plane as it laid on an ocean shelf at a depth of about 350-450 feet.
Transair Flight 810 crashed into the waters off Oahu on July 2. Two pilots were the only people on board the plane, as they ditched it shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. Both pilots were taken out of the water by rescuers and suffered serious injuries but both men survived, according to Hawaii News Now.
In July, the U.S. Coast Guard released dramatic night rescue video of the scene just after the crash showing the two pilots being plucked from the ocean south of Kalaeloa, Hawaii.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Karin Evelyn previously told the Associated Press they received a report around 1:40 a.m. local time of a downed inter-island cargo plane. About an hour later, rescuers in a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the debris field and two people in the water, Evelyn said.
Air Traffic Control audio captured the moments before the crash. The pilot could be heard reporting back that the plane's number one engine was lost, and there was a fear that the second engine would be lost as well.
NTSB investigators discovered in July that the plane's fuselage had broken into two pieces, with both separating from the wings on impact.
According to the NTSB, TransAir's insurance provider contracted with multiple companies to recover the wreckage and cargo of the plane.