Two dredging vessels and an amphibious excavator have joined the search for the remains of a crashed fighter jet off Taiwan's west coast. The company contracted by the military to lead the search says it hopes to recover the aircraft wreckage, the onboard flight recorder and the pilot’s remains by Saturday.
The military aircraft at the center of the search mission is an F-16V, a newly-upgraded fighter jet. On Tuesday last week, the jet, piloted by Captain Chen Yi, crashed into the sea off Taiwan’s western coast.
Military officials hope retrieving the onboard flight recorder will allow them to shed light on the reason for the crash.
The company conducting the search, Hung Hua Construction, says its dredging vessels are working around the clock to extract the aircraft from the seabed.
However, Hung Hua Construction says it cannot disclose whether it has found any more of the wreckage or human remains. That’s because the company has signed a confidentiality agreement with the Taiwanese military.