Irish experts examine Metrojet flight recorders
Irish Aviation Authority experts are understood to have begun examining the flight recorders from the Metrojet plane crash.
They are among investigators from five countries involved in the examination.
The black boxes were recovered from the scene in Egypt, where the plane came down at the weekend, killing 224 people.
Aviation analyst Gerry Byrne said the devices were expected to shed some light on what caused the plane to break up.
"Obviously the cockpit voice recorders would be very important in this situation, and (investigators) will be listening to the very end of the tapes to hear what the pilots are saying to each other - are they expressing alarm, or does everything appear to be very normal?
"They'll also be listening for any unusual sounds."
Meanwhile, US satellite systems detected heat around the passenger plane before it crashed in Egypt, two US officials have said.
One of the officials said they ruled out a missile striking the Metrojet Airbus A321-200 because neither a launch nor an engine burn had been detected.
The infrared activity that was detected could mean many things, including a bomb or that an engine on the plane exploded because of a malfunction.
