Page:Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Helderberg air disaster.djvu/53

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
48

inspection of the wreckage. It was therefore possible to identify and inspect many of the wreckage pieces on the sea bed and to decide on recovery priority. Some 3 940 colour photographs were taken and 806 hours of video tape recordings were made. Wreckage pieces of importance were given designated target references and numbered in sequence. Attempts were made to retrieve all items of cargo and all wreckage pieces showing evidence of heat, but unforeseen circumstances prevented these optimistic intentions. It was, however, possible to retrieve 25 targets, some of which proved very valuable for investigation purposes. Amongst these were the cockpit voice recorder, rearmost galley support structure, sections of main cargo deck fuselage and crown skin and a section of the rear pressure bulkhead.

1.12.2 Examination of the wreckage was described to the Board under four headings, namely:

Recovered floating wreckage.
Wreckage recovered from the sea bed.
Wreckage observed on the sea bed.
Recovered wreckage of which the actual position in the aeroplane could not be determined.