Birmingham , Alabama ( CNN ) -- A preliminary investigation has found no evidence of an `` uncontained engine failure '' or a `` pre-impact fire '' in the engine of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in Birmingham , Alabama , killing the pilot and co-pilot , a National Transportation Safety Board official said Thursday . There also was no indication of a problem with runway lights , Robert Sumwalt of the NTSB told reporters . The news came as authorities announced the cockpit voice and flight data recorders were recovered from the wreckage near Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport , and were being sent to NTSB headquarters in Washington . `` We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to collect good , usable data , '' Sumwalt said . The recorders were blackened and coated with soot from the fire that engulfed the plane on impact . But they are made to withstand crashes and heat , Sumwalt said . Investigators had to use picks and shovels to retrieve the data recorders from the wreckage because flames in the plane 's tail section kept officials from accessing them immediately . The devices could help investigators determine why the plane -- which did not issue a distress call -- went down early Wednesday while on approach to the airport . UPS identified the pilots as Capt . Cerea Beal Jr. , 58 , of Matthews , North Carolina , and First Officer Shanda Fanning , 37 , of Lynchburg , Tennessee . Beal had been with UPS since 1990 and previously had served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a heavy lift helicopter pilot , according to a statement released by UPS . Fanning had worked for UPS since 2006 , the statement said . The Airbus A300-600F broke into pieces as it crashed around 4:45 a.m. in an open field near a street that runs parallel to the airport . The cargo plane had 12 `` service difficulty '' reports on file at the Federal Aviation Administration , including at least two that the reports indicated led pilots to declare emergencies . But an aviation expert told CNN he believes none of the previous problems would have played a role in the accident . The reports document problems ranging from an inoperative light in an emergency exit light assembly to a problem with the plane 's flaps . `` I do n't see anything there that indicates in any way that its related to the events in Birmingham , '' said John Goglia , a former NTSB member and former certified aircraft mechanic . The flap problem , reported in 2006 while the plane was flying in Germany , might raise concern had it not occurred so long ago , he said . Witnesses said the plane , which took off from Louisville , Kentucky , flew low over a neighborhood , striking the tops of trees and knocking down power lines as it crashed . The crash site is about a half mile north of a runway . Five facts to calm plane crash fears . A photo showing the jet engine blades only partially damaged could indicate that the engines were not running or were at `` very low idle '' upon impact , instead of the faster `` flight idle '' typical upon landing , Goglia said . `` An engine that is producing power , those ( blades ) would have been gone , '' said Goglia . The lack of damage suggests that `` they were n't spinning so fast and they stopped quickly . '' If the data recorders contain information , investigators should be able to quickly discover the status of the engines before impact . But if the data is not retrievable , investigators will focus on the condition of the blades , Goglia predicted . Airbus said Wednesday the plane had approximately 11,000 flight hours in some 6,800 flights . It was powered by Pratt & Whitney engines . The plane was one of two flights UPS sends to Birmingham each day , company spokesman Mike Mangeot told CNN affiliate WBRC . The crew did not report any trouble , Birmingham Mayor William Bell said , citing conversations with control tower officials . Light showers and a visibility of 10 miles were reported in the area of the airport at the time of the crash , according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen . CNN 's Michael Pearson Jason Hanna , Marlena Baldacci , Aaron Cooper , Mike Ahlers and Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report .
NEW : UPS identifies the pilots as Capt . Cerea Beal Jr. and First Officer Shanda Fanning . NTSB investigators find no evidence of `` uncontained engine failure '' Flames kept investigators from quickly retrieving data recorders . There was no distress call from the pilots before impact , the NTSB says .