The remote underwater recovery vehicle Magnum is a tough, nimble underwater robot with a seven-jointed titanium arm

November 8, 1999
Web posted at: 8:49 p.m. EDT (0049 GMT)

In this story: Magnum can operate in rough seas Too dangerous for divers Other details of operation Response to criticism Flower tribute on Tuesday RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEWPORT, Rhode Island (CNN) -- EgyptAir crash investigators hope to take advantage of "very, very good" weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday to use two underwater robots round the clock, searching the ocean bottom for the two elusive "black boxes" from Flight 990.

"We are taking every advantage and maximizing every opportunity we have and we will stay on scene from now ... as long as we can," said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. William Sutton.

A tougher, nimbler underwater robot with a seven-jointed titanium arm was lowered into the sea Monday to find and retrieve the flight data and cockpit voice recorders believed to be under silt or wreckage in the eastern section of the debris field some 250 feet under the water.

HOTLINES EgyptAir information lines: In the U.S.: (800) 243-1094 Outside the U.S.: (202) 245-2244 (202) 244-1460 (202) 418-3690 FBI Information line: 1-800-473-4761    VIDEO CNN's Martin Savidge reports on the mood in Newport, Rhode Island, where families of Flight 990 crash victims are staying. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Message Board: Plane crashes     ALSO Depth comparison of various crashes Passengers and crew on EgyptAir Flight 990

The Magnum Drone arrived at the site aboard the submarine supply vehicle Carolyn Chouest, which reached the debris field south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, before noon. Seas calmed to about eight feet, just enough to let the search get back under way.

This robot is the latest, most sophisticated, machine of its kind, able to maneuver and operate even in rough seas, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James Hall.

It traveled to the bottom of the ocean in a large, steel cage which protects it from getting damaged in rough seas.

Its mother ship, the SSV Carolyn Chouest, has omni-directional thrusters linked to a Global Positioning System (GPS) which enables the vessel to float in a fixed position without dropping anchor.

Sutton said they expected to have the second drone, the Deep Drone, back in the water by Tuesday morning. It is aboard the USS Grapple which left Newport just before a late Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Sutton emphasized once again the dangers of the operation and why it was decided that the remote-controlled, underwater vessels about the size of a mini-van were the best option.

He said there was "a tremendous amount of debris in the area -- a lot of jagged edges and twisted metal," that could tear diving suits or breathing hoses. The water is so deep that divers could spend only half an hour underwater and would require four hours to decompress. The ocean surface conditions also were very volatile.

Eight days after the Boeing 767 plunged into the Atlantic, claiming 217 lives, both recorders that might contain clues to why the aircraft went down remain on the ocean floor.

In previous retrieval attempts, when claws of the Deep Drone moved a piece of wreckage to try and get closer to the black boxes' distinct pinging sounds, clouds of silt blurred the robot's video cameras -- frustrating technicians controlling it from the Grapple's deck.

• The Navy continues to scan six-square-mile area of debris. There are at least two distinct debris piles and may be more.

• 17 FBI agents are on ships at sea, including two electronic technicians, two bomb technicians and about 10 members of an evidence response team to help tag evidence.

• At least one diplomatic pouch was found floating in the water. FAA rules forbid disclosing information about contents.

• The Maintenance Records Group begins organizing in Cairo, Egypt. The group will check maintenance records of the downed airplane.

• A Boston man was arrested Monday for allegedly making bomb threats against Northwest Airlines. He claimed to be a member of FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Also claimed FARC responsible for Flight 990 crash. FBI does not believe the claim to be credible.

• Rhode Island's attorney general filed a petition seeking authority to issue certificates declaring that the crash victims are presumed dead. Family members have requested such a measure to begin clearing up legal matters.

With improving sea conditions, the U.S.S. Grapple left port to resume its search for EgyptAir Flight 990's 'black boxes'

The NTSB was emphatic that the search and recovery effort was taking longer at this crash site than at others because of the depth of the water, the distance from shore and dangerous conditions.

"It's important for the citizens of this country and the citizens of the world to know there were more American citizens on that flight than citizens from any other country," said Hall.

"We are committed and intend to find out what caused this accident."

There is still no indication why Flight 990 plummeted from 33,000 feet, crashing into the water less than an hour after takeoff October 31 from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

On Tuesday, a Coast Guard helicopter is scheduled to drop flowers at the crash site. The flowers are from relatives of the crash victims who gathered in Rhode Island for an emotional multi-faith memorial service held Sunday at a park overlooking the ocean.

After the ceremony, many family members left immediately for airports to return to their homes in Egypt, the United States and other countries.

On Saturday, relatives were granted their wish to see the plane's wreckage at Quonset Point, a former Navy base across Narragansett Bay from the search command center in Newport, Rhode Island.

Correspondents Susan Candiotti, Gary Tuchman, Carl Rochelle and Charles Zewe contributed to this report.

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