81.   The Airbus has a heavily computerized cockpit and a flight data recorder that takes extensive measurements throughout the plane.

82.   The board also said that its investigation had been slowed by the way that information was recorded on the flight data recorder.

83.   The board finds the cause of almost all crashes by looking at the wreckage, the flight data recorders, radar records and similar evidence.

84.   The American Airlines jet returned to Phoenix and its flight data recorder was immediately sent to Washington, D.C., for analysis Wednesday night.

85.   The cockpit voice recorder could have captured a sound like that, and the flight data recorder could clear up a lot of those questions.

86.   The cockpit voice recorder was recovered from the sea floor only on Tuesday, and the flight data recorder a day later.

87.   The digital flight data recorder is an engineering instrument that measures such things as airspeed and altitude, and a written report of its data also is made available.

88.   The clues to both crashes were contained in a small, nondescript flight data recorder used to monitor airplane movements and performance.

89.   The flight data recorder indicates that the autopilot disconnected, but not whether it turned itself off or was turned off by the crew.