US Navy is sending two devices to the French to aid in search for flight recorders
By Lolita C. Baldor, Gaea News NetworkSunday, June 7, 2009
US Navy sending locators to French for plane crash
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is sending two high-tech devices to French ships that will help them locate the black box flight recorders for the Air France plane that crashed nearly a week ago in the Atlantic Ocean.
A senior defense official said the Towed Pinger Locators, which can detect emergency beacons to a depth of 20,000 feet, are being flown to Brazil Monday with a U.S. Navy team. The team, which includes Navy personnel and some contractors, will deliver the locators to two French tugs that will use them to listen for transmissions from the black box.
The official requested anonymity because the decision, which came in response to a request from France, has not been announced. The U.S. Navy owns two of the locators, which are five feet long and five inches in diameter and are towed behind vessels at slow speed.
On the Net:
Defense Department: www.defenselink.mil
Tags: Accidents, Air france, Brazil, Europe, European Union, France, Latin America And Caribbean, North America, South America, Transportation, Transportation Accidents, United States, Us-us-brazil-plane, Washington, Western Europe
