EgyptAir 804 Black Boxes Remain Unrecovered: What We Know About the Hunt for Answers

Author: Huff Post U.S

May 23, 2016 at 12:48

The crucial black boxes f-rom EgyptAir Flight 804 have yet to be recovered after the plane disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea last week with 66 people aboard. The United States, France, Egypt and other countries are contributing to search teams combing the area.

Here's what to know about the hunt for the black boxes, which could shed light on what caused the plane to lose contact near the Egyptian coast en route to Cairo f-rom Paris Thursday.

Search Area Is Nearly the Size of Connecticut

PHOTO: An EgyptAir flight en route to Cairo f-rom Paris disappeared f-rom radar over the Mediterranean Sea about 174 miles f-rom the Egyptian coast. — An EgyptAir flight en route to Cairo f-rom Paris disappeared f-rom radar over the Mediterranean Sea about 174 miles f-rom the Egyptian coast.more +

Search teams are working a nearly 5,300-square-mile area in the Mediterranean — an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut.

Pinpointing the location of the black boxes could be extremely difficult, since the pingers on the boxes emit an ultrasonic signal that is detectable within a radius of only about 2 miles.

Additionally, the debris f-rom the crash has been floating for days, so it may have been carried far f-rom the rest of the plane.

Official: Smoke Detected on Board EgyptAir 804, 'Priority Is to Locate Wreckage and Black Boxes'

EgyptAir Flight Crash Adds 'Nails in the Coffin' for Egyptian Tourism, Travel Expert Says

Egypt Focuses on Recovering Bodies, Sends Submarine

PHOTO: In this May 19th image released by the Egyptian Defense Ministry, a ship searchs in the Mediterranean Sea for the missing EgyptAir flight 804. On May 20, 2016 the Egyptian Army said that it has found wreckage north of Alexandria, Egypt. — In this May 19th image released by the Egyptian Defense Ministry, a ship searchs in the Mediterranean Sea for the missing EgyptAir flight 804. On May 20, 2016 the Egyptian Army said that it has found wreckage north of Alexandria, Egypt.more +

Sherif Fathi, Egypt's civil aviation minister, told reporters Sunday that while the black boxes have yet to be recovered, search teams are continuing to recover human remains and other parts of the plane. He told ABC News that the No. 1 priority is finding the bodies of the deceased.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi told reporters an Egyptian oil ministry submarine capable of diving to nearly 10,000 feet below the surface was en route to the crash site Sunday. The depth of the Mediterranean at the suspected crash site is roughly 10,000 feet.

Americans Spot Two Fields of Debris

PHOTO: Possible debris f-rom EgyptAir flight MS804 as seen f-rom a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft f-rom Patrol Squadron 4, May 21, 2016. — *Possible debris f-rom EgyptAir flight MS804 as seen f-rom a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft f-rom Patrol Squadron 4, May 21, 2016.more +*

U.S. Navy aircraft participating in the search found two fields of debris this weekend.

The first was found by a P-3 flight Saturday, and the second — reported to have a radius of 3 nautical miles — was found Sunday, the U.S. Navy said.

It was not clear how far apart the two fields are f-rom each other.

Another U.S. Navy P-3 flight searched the area Monday, but it was not immediately clear if anything new was spotted.

France Sends Ship to Detect Signals, Collect Debris

A French ship has also arrived at the search area and intends to focus on detecting signals and collecting debris f-rom the plane, a spokesman for the French navy told ABC News.

The ship can detect signals deeper than approximately 5,000 feet, depending on the strength and direction of the signal, the French navy said.