Taiwan military recovers flight recorder

Days after a Taiwanese military plane crashed, the in-flight recorder, or black box, has been recovered, local media reported Thursday. It was found Thursday off the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, where an Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jet went down. According to media reports, it has been sent to professionals who are investigating the crash. Altogether, 75 objects such as ejector seats, life vests, unopened parachutes and helmets of the pilots have been found. The military is still looking for the pilot's remains. The aircraft went missing Monday morning during a routine training flight near the Penghu islands. It lost contact with ground control 30 minutes after taking off from the Chingchuankang air force base near Taichung at 9:15 a.m.. The two pilots aboard the aircraft have been identified as 29-year-old Ku Chih-pin and 31-year-old Chen Chien-ting. Meanwhile, rescuers are still searching for a Taiwanese naval helicopter which crashed Tuesday off Hualian. One crew member aboard the anti-submarine S70-C helicopter was confirmed dead. Two others were found with injuries and another two people are still missing. Chen Chao-min, chief of the defense department of the Taiwan authority, has apologized for the crashes, and banned all military aircraft, except for those on regular patrol and rescue missions, from flying for three days until special inspections are done.