South Korea’s transport ministry revealed Saturday that the black boxes from the crashed Jeju Air flight stopped recording crucial data four minutes before the disaster, which claimed 179 lives.
On December 29, the Boeing 737-800 was en route from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, carrying 181 passengers and crew. The aircraft belly-landed at Muan Airport, colliding with a concrete barrier and erupting into flames.
“The analysis revealed that both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) stopped recording in the four minutes leading up to the collision,” the transport ministry said in a statement.
The localizer, a runway barrier aiding aircraft landings, was cited as a factor that worsened the crash’s impact. Investigators are now examining why the black boxes lost data in the final moments.
South Korean and US investigators continue to probe the cause of the crash. Initial reports suggest a combination of a bird strike, malfunctioning landing gear, and the runway barrier may have contributed.
The pilot had reported a bird strike before aborting the first landing attempt. On the second attempt, the landing gear failed to deploy, leading to a catastrophic crash.
The tragedy has sparked national mourning, with memorials set up across South Korea.
On December 29, the Boeing 737-800 was en route from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, carrying 181 passengers and crew. The aircraft belly-landed at Muan Airport, colliding with a concrete barrier and erupting into flames.
“The analysis revealed that both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) stopped recording in the four minutes leading up to the collision,” the transport ministry said in a statement.
The localizer, a runway barrier aiding aircraft landings, was cited as a factor that worsened the crash’s impact. Investigators are now examining why the black boxes lost data in the final moments.
South Korean and US investigators continue to probe the cause of the crash. Initial reports suggest a combination of a bird strike, malfunctioning landing gear, and the runway barrier may have contributed.
The pilot had reported a bird strike before aborting the first landing attempt. On the second attempt, the landing gear failed to deploy, leading to a catastrophic crash.
The tragedy has sparked national mourning, with memorials set up across South Korea.
