(CNN) -- The memory unit that may tell why an Air France jet plunged into the Atlantic nearly two years ago was recovered from the bottom of the ocean Sunday, France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) said. A remote-controlled submarine, known as the Remora 6000, located the memory unit Sunday morning and it was lifted on board the search ship Ile de Sein six hours later, the Paris-based BEA said. All 228 people aboard the Air France Flight 447 were killed when the plane fell into the ocean on the way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009.
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NEW: Air France calls the recovery "very significant"
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British aviation expert skeptical data remains; French expert hopeful
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All 228 people aboard the Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris were killed
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The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009
@placeholder, in a written statement Sunday, called the discovery "very significant."