JetBlue black boxes head to DC for federal analysis

GlobalPost

Federal officials are receiving JetBlue flight 191's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder on Friday, CBS News reported.

On Tuesday, the New York flight to Las Vegas made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas after the plane's captain apparently suffered a meltdown during the flight and was locked out of the cockpit by his co-pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said they will download the data and hand over the information to the FBI, according to CNN.

More on GlobalPost: JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon's meltdown prompts review of procedures (VIDEO)

Capt. Clayton Osbon was charged by federal prosecutors Wednesday with interfering with his flight crew and has been suspended by JetBlue, pending further investigation.

Reuters reports the "black box" should allow investigators to compare conversations from the flight deck with statements  and sounds from witnesses to paint a full picture of what happened during the flight.

A JetBlue spokeswoman said the crew had been interviewed by investigators and were given "down time."

During the flight, passengers reported incoherent and erratic behavior from the pilot, after his co-pilot had convinced him to go to the restroom.

Tony Antolino, one of the passengers who subdued Osbon, told NBC upon discovering he was locked out of the cockpit, he started ranting. "They're going to take us down, they're taking us down, they're going to take us down. Say the Lord's prayer, say the Lord's prayer,"

More on GlobalPost: The Argentine economy's fuzzy math problem

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.