Wreckage of Jeju Air Airliner Lying Near Concrete Structure After Crash at Muan International Airport
The two black boxes on the Boeing jet involved in the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, according to the transport ministry. The crash, which occurred on December 29, killed 179 people and was caused by the airliner operated by Jeju Air belly-landing and overshot the regional airport’s runway, exploding into flames after hitting an embankment.
The voice recorder was initially analyzed in South Korea, but when data was found to be missing, it was sent to a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board laboratory. The black box recorders collect data on communications involving pilots in the cockpit as well as how the aircraft systems perform in-flight.
The investigation has focused on the embankment the plane crashed into, which was designed to prop up a “localizer” system used to assist aircraft landing, including why it was built with such rigid material and so close to the end of the runway. The transport ministry said that other data available would be used in the investigation and that it would ensure the probe is transparent and that information is shared with the victims’ families.
Sim Jai-dong, a former transport ministry accident investigator, said the discovery of the missing data from the budget airline’s Boeing 737-800 jet’s crucial final minutes was surprising and suggests all power, including backup, may have been cut, which is rare. Some members of the victims’ families have said the transport ministry should not be taking the lead in the investigation and that it should involve independent experts, including those recommended by the families.