On 26 January 2007, a dispute arose between Adam Air and the Indonesian government regarding the retrieval of the black boxes.
Due to the depth involved, recovery required an underwater remotely operated vehicle, but Indonesia did not have such equipment.
Vice-President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla went as far as to question the need to retrieve the black boxes at all, although experts said in response that the accident was of international significance as it could indicate a fault with the aircraft.
Adam Air said that in its opinion, the black boxes should be recovered, describing the accident as being relevant on both national and international levels, but refused to pay, saying that was the responsibility of the government.
Indonesia did request technical assistance from the United States, Japan and France.
Jim Hall, a former chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said that it was essential the boxes be recovered quickly, as at that point their 30-day battery life was about to expire, which subsequently did happen.
He cited problems such as poor visibility and strong currents making it difficult to recover the devices without the signal.

On 31 January it was reported that the US had to withdraw the vessel Mary Sears from the searches, the US military saying that the vessel had other duties.
Further funding and help from the US would have to be approved by the United States Congress.
At the same time, external companies were suggested as possible retrievers of the black boxes.
Indonesia continued to seek help from other countries, such as France and Japan.
Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee head Setio Rahardjo maintained that Adam Air should be charged with the retrieval costs.

It was originally confirmed that Indonesia would not pay for the salvage operation, and neither could they force Adam Air to do so.
Nonetheless, Adam Air signed a contract with Phoenix International for the recovery operation.
On 23 August, the Eas arrived in Sulawesi's Makassar port to begin salvage operations, which began with several days survey.
The vessel was carrying a mini-submarine that could dive up to 6,000 m (20,000 ft), and was equipped with sonar and deep sea cameras.

A Phoenix International underwater robot scouring the sea off Majene for on Sulawesi finally retrieved the flight data recorder on 27 August and cockpit voice recorder on 28 August.
The two devices were found at a depth of around 2,000 m (6,600 ft) and were 1,400 m (4,600 ft) apart.
They had been moved 10–15 m (33–49 ft) from their original locations by powerful underwater currents.
The black boxes were sent to Washington, D.C. for analysis.
The final cost of the salvage operation to retrieve the black boxes was US$3 million, of which two million was contributed by the Indonesian government, with Adam Air paying the rest.
Efforts continued with the hope of recovering various large pieces of wreckage from the seabed.
On 26 January 2007, a dispute arose between Adam Air and the Indonesian government regarding the retrieval of the black boxes. Due to the depth involved, recovery required an underwater remotely operated vehicle, but Indonesia did not have such equipment. Vice-President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla went as far as to question the need to retrieve the black boxes at all, although experts said in response that the accident was of international significance as it could indicate a fault with the aircraft. Adam Air said that in its opinion, the black boxes should be recovered, describing the accident as being relevant on both national and international levels, but refused to pay, saying that was the responsibility of the government. Indonesia did request technical assistance from the United States, Japan and France. Jim Hall, a former chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said that it was essential the boxes be recovered quickly, as at that point their 30-day battery life was about to expire, which subsequently did happen. He cited problems such as poor visibility and strong currents making it difficult to recover the devices without the signal.
On 31 January it was reported that the US had to withdraw the vessel Mary Sears from the searches, the US military saying that the vessel had other duties. Further funding and help from the US would have to be approved by the United States Congress. At the same time, external companies were suggested as possible retrievers of the black boxes. Indonesia continued to seek help from other countries, such as France and Japan. Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee head Setio Rahardjo maintained that Adam Air should be charged with the retrieval costs.
It was originally confirmed that Indonesia would not pay for the salvage operation, and neither could they force Adam Air to do so. Nonetheless, Adam Air signed a contract with Phoenix International for the recovery operation. On 23 August, the Eas arrived in Sulawesi's Makassar port to begin salvage operations, which began with several days survey. The vessel was carrying a mini-submarine that could dive up to 6,000 m (20,000 ft), and was equipped with sonar and deep sea cameras.
A Phoenix International underwater robot scouring the sea off Majene for on Sulawesi finally retrieved the flight data recorder on 27 August and cockpit voice recorder on 28 August. The two devices were found at a depth of around 2,000 m (6,600 ft) and were 1,400 m (4,600 ft) apart. They had been moved 10–15 m (33–49 ft) from their original locations by powerful underwater currents. The black boxes were sent to Washington, D.C. for analysis. The final cost of the salvage operation to retrieve the black boxes was US$3 million, of which two million was contributed by the Indonesian government, with Adam Air paying the rest. Efforts continued with the hope of recovering various large pieces of wreckage from the seabed.
Adam Air Flight 574