A team of divers has located the cockpit of the MERPATI NUSANTARA Xian MA60 that crashed off the coast of Kaimana, Indonesia, on Saturday, killing all onboard. The cockpit was found around 2:00pm today, local time, on the seabed, upside down, with its wheels facing up. The cockpit was found 200 meters from the initial search area. Divers reportedly are having difficulty getting inside due to all the debris from the plane. The dark water and debris has made it hard to determine whether there were any human remains inside. Officials say 23 bodies have been recovered and, contrary to reports yesterday, the Pilot and Co-Pilot remain missing. Officials suspect they may be trapped in the cockpit. There are conflicting reports on the number of passengers and crew on board, with the media putting it at either 25 or 27. Merpati Flight 8968 was on Domestic Service form Sorong to Kaimana, when it crashed into the sea, while on final approach for landing in Kaimana. The Xian, registration PK-MZK and pictured above, impacted the water about 500 meters from the runway edge. Meanwhile, Merpati Nusantara's President has offered to resign if the crash is traced to any safety issue with the carrier. He also denied some reports that suggested the Xian crashed due to a fuel shortage, saying the aircraft had enough fuel onboard to fly from Sorong to Kaimana, and back again. Yesterday, Indonesian lawmakers said that an investigation needs to be carried out into whether the Chinese made Xian MA60 passed "verification standards". With Merpati due to take delivery of 2 more MA60s, they urged the carrier to delay the delivery and ground the remaining 12 Xian's in their fleet, until the investigation is completed. China, which has sent representatives to Indonesia to aid in the investigation, has insisted that the Xian MA60 is safe and that it meets all international safety standards.
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