Ukraine officials ask Iran to hand over black boxes of downed plane

Ukrainian officials have asked for legal assistance linked to hand over the black boxes of the Ukrainian plane which crashed on January 8 killing all 176 people onboard. The office of the Ukrainian prosecutor said that the country had sent a request for legal assistance linked to the handover to the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of the Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 flight recorders, as reported by international media.

Would take proper measures

The officials further said that they would take all measures to properly decode the black boxes and preserve evidence of the investigation. On Saturday, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office had confirmed to international media that it was investigating the possible willful killing and destruction in its probe of the airliner. The Boeing 737 crashed into the ground shortly after its takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. On Tuesday, Iran had invited the UN for support in its probe of the plane crash. In a statement, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said that the invitation from Iran was accepted. The statement further read, “ The ICAO has appointed senior and expert technical staff, who will now serve as advisors and observers in the probe.”

Read: Ukrainian Plane Crash Investigation Handed Over To UN Aviation Experts

Read: Ukrainian Experts Recover Downed Plane In Tehran

Previously, the Iranian investigators said that the crew members of the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed the previous day never made a radio call for help and were trying to turn back to the airport when the plane went down. The United States National Transportation Safety Board said on January 9 that it will join the probe into Ukrainian Boeing airliner crash in Iran which killed 176 people. The US-made Boeing 737 went down just minutes after takeoff from Tehran and shortly after Iran had fired multiple missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops. NTSB said that it had received a 'formal notification' from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of the Civil Aviation Organisation of Iran. 

Read: Ukraine Ups Plane Crash Probe; Gets Access To Black Boxes, Aircraft Fragments

Read: Two Iranian Missiles Hit Ukrainian Passenger Jet, New Video Surfaces

Read : Amid Claims It Downed Ukraine Airliner, Iran Says Its Black Box May Have 'technical Fault'