MAPUTO – No signs of mechanical failure was found in the preliminary investigation into the crash of a Mozambican airline aircraft. According to AIM, evidence from the preliminary investigation into the crash on November 29, of a Mozambique Airlines (LAM) Embraer-190 in northern Namibia suggested that it was not caused by any mechanical malfunction of the aircraft.
Thirty-three people lost their lives in the accident
This was according to the chairman of the regulatory body, the Mozambique Civil Aviation Institute (IACM), Mr Joao de Abreu.
AIM reported Abreu said the flight data and the cabin voice recorders (the black boxes) had survived the crash, and the initial data recovered from them did not indicate any mechanical failure.
“The investigations are underway”, said Abreu, “and may be concluded even before the 30 days recommended by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation)”.
At the time of the incident, Mozambican officials had stated that there had been bad weather and poor visibility.
The investigation was chaired by Namibia, as the country where the accident occurred. Abreu said that the Namibian authorities would do all in their power to ensure that the ICAO’s recommendations on investigating aviation accidents would be strictly observed.
Three days of national mourning for the people who died in the crash. which began on Monday, was decreed by the Mozambican government. The mourning period ended with a religious service at a central Maputo Sports Stadium on Wednesday.
LAM in a press release stated they were continuing to give support to the families who had lost loved ones in the incident.
The airline stated were in personal contact with the families regularly to inform them of any new developments and to ensure they understood the complex process that followed an accident.
According to the airline, a mural had been unveiled outside LAM’s offices in Maputo and a condolence book had been opened so that loved ones and friends could lay flowers and leave remembrance messages to the passengers and crew members who had perished in the accident.
The airlines also stated that the identification process was complex but methodical and involved DNA matching The collection of DNA had been conducted by experienced forensic specialists.
