The flight recorder of an F-16V jet that crashed in waters off southern Taiwan on Jan. 11 has been found and sent to aviation experts, raising hopes of finding clues to the cause of the accident that has confounded experts so far.

Searchers found the device, more commonly known as the black box, of the serial number 6650 jet piloted by Captain Chen Yi (??) on Monday evening, according to an Air Force press release.

The device was then handed to professionals to retrieve flight history data stored inside, it said.

An ad hoc investigation committee has been formed by the Air Force and joined by representatives from the Taiwan Transport Safety Board and aviation experts to determine the cause of the incident, but they have made little headway to date.

The discovery was made six days after Chen's jet disappeared from radar screens at 3:23 p.m. on Jan. 11, half an hour after it took off from Chiayi Air Base on a routine training mission with another aircraft.

At the time, the weather conditions and visibility were good, according to the military.

The aircraft had just completed a series of simulated missile launches, when it abruptly nosedived into the ocean, according to accounts given by another jet pilot, a ground controller, and another eyewitness in Chiayi.

Chen has been pronounced dead after parts of his body were found by searchers last week.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel