South Korean investigators said Saturday they were close to finalising the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder from a fatal plane crash that left 179 people dead last week."The transcript of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) is expected to be completed today,

Families of the victims were taken to the crash site for the first time on New Year's Day to pay their respects.

GE Aerospace, whose joint venture made the engines of the Boeing airplane that crashed in the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil, joined the investigation as Seoul extended by a week special inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 jets.