South Korea Reveals Jeju Air Jet's Black Boxes Stopped Recording Minutes Before Fatal Crash
The cause of the plane crash remains unknown as South Korean and US investigators continue their probe
VIRALNEWS
South Korea's transport ministry announced on Saturday that the black boxes, which include the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR), for the ill-fated Jeju Air flight that crashed on December 29, stopped recording data four minutes before the crash occurred.
The Boeing 737-800, which was traveling from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, carried 181 people, including passengers and crew. The plane crash-landed at Muan airport and exploded upon impact, slamming into a concrete barrier. This tragic event has been marked as the worst aviation disaster in South Korea's history, claiming the lives of 179 individuals.
According to the transport ministry's statement, analysis showed that both the CVR and FDR failed to record any data during the final four minutes leading up to the crash. The ministry referred to the localiser, a runway end barrier aiding in aircraft landings, as a factor that worsened the severity of the crash.
The flight data recorder was found damaged and deemed unrecoverable for data extraction. It was sent to the United States for analysis at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) laboratory. However, the crucial black boxes experienced a data loss, and authorities are now focusing on investigating the cause of this issue.
The ministry assured that efforts are underway to probe the reasons behind the data loss as part of the ongoing accident investigation. Investigators are still examining possible causes for the crash, including a bird strike, malfunctioning landing gear, and the runway barrier.
The pilot had reported a bird strike before attempting a first landing. However, on the second landing attempt, the landing gear failed to deploy, resulting in the crash. Preliminary findings showed feathers in one of the recovered engines, but officials cautioned that a bird strike alone does not typically cause immediate engine failure.
South Korean and US investigators are working together to determine the full cause of the crash. Authorities have conducted raids at Muan airport and Jeju Air offices in both Muan and Seoul, and have barred Jeju Air’s CEO from leaving the country. A joint task force has been formed to further investigate the disaster. Transport Minister Park Sang-woo, in light of the tragedy, offered his resignation, expressing his deep responsibility as the minister in charge of aviation safety.