The two black boxes recovered from the Air New Zealand Airbus crash site in France have been so badly damaged they have to be sent to the manufacturers in North America to see if they can reveal any clues.
Seven men, including five New Zealanders, were killed when the A320 jet crashed into the Mediterranean off the coast of Perpignan on Thursday afternoon local time (Friday morning NZT).
Divers have recovered a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder, which investigators were hoping would reveal the cause of the crash.
However, both have been badly damaged and would be sent to manufacturer Honeywell in North America to determine what data could be extracted from them, Air NZ international airline manager Ed Sims said in a statement this morning.
Divers had also located the cockpit and found a third body nearby, he said.
Two bodies were found last week and French authorities had made it clear they intended to continue the search and recovery operation until all bodies were found, he said.
"We cannot speak highly enough of the French authorities and the efforts they are putting into this operation," Mr Sims said.
"Although it is now night time in France, divers continue their search and despite a deteriorating forecast will continue to do so over the next few days."
Police were working to identify the bodies through DNA.
Twelve family members of the New Zealanders killed had so far arrived in France and seven more were on their way, Mr Sims said.
At 2pm local time (2am NZ time) the airline held a service on the beach and at the crash site, Mr Sims said.
On the beach Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe spoke about the great work the men who died had done and flight service managers and cabin crew performed a karakia as a "personal gesture to the New Zealand families", Mr Sims told Radio New Zealand.
The family were then taken in two boats on a 20-minute journey to the crash site, where flowers and wreaths were placed and scattered.
Air NZ staff members performed a dedicated Air NZ haka at the site, he said.
"Our senior people there, both Rob Fyfe and (deputy chief executive) Norm Thompson, they described that as the single most intensely moving moment of the last four days so I think we have to take it as read that all due respects were paid at that point."
All search and rescue teams had moved away from the site during the service as a sign of respect to the families, he said.
Families had found comfort sharing what they had been through over the last four days, he said.
"The more we can reunite those families on the ground in Perpignan as close to the site of the accident the more we feel that we've given something very small, but at least we've given something back to families."
Air New Zealand pilot Captain Brian Horrell, 52, and engineers Murray White, 37, Michael Gyles, 49, and Noel Marsh, 35 and well as Civil Aviation Authority official Jeremy Cook, 58, were killed in the crash.
The plane was being flown by two German pilots from XL Airlines. The airline, which had leased the Airbus from Air NZ, said their names would not be released.
The plane was due to be returned to Air NZ.
French authorities on Monday formally opened an investigation for "involuntary homicide".
NZPA