South Korea’s Deadliest Aviation Disaster in Decades Leaves Investigators Searching for Answers
Flight recorders from the Jeju Air passenger jet that crashed in South Korea last month, killing 179 people, ceased functioning just minutes before the aircraft belly-landed and exploded on the runway, investigators revealed on Saturday.
The crash, which occurred at Muan International Airport on December 29, marked the country’s deadliest aviation disaster since 1997. Only two of the 181 people on board the Boeing 737-800 survived the catastrophic incident.
Officials had hoped the black boxes—the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR)—would shed light on why Flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok ended in tragedy. However, South Korea’s transport ministry confirmed that both devices stopped recording roughly four minutes prior to the crash.
“The exact reason the devices stopped working remains unknown,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the investigation would proceed using various sources of data to determine the cause of the accident.
Damaged Recorders Sent for Analysis
The CVR underwent initial analysis in South Korea before being sent to the United States for verification. Meanwhile, the flight data recorder, damaged and missing a connector, was dispatched to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US after local experts failed to retrieve any data due to its condition.
Video footage of the crash revealed the absence of both the front and rear landing gear at the time of impact. Prior to the emergency landing, the pilot issued a mayday call citing a “bird strike” and the need for a “go-around,” as the control tower had previously warned of bird activity near the runway.
Controversial Factors in the Crash
Another focal point of the investigation is the concrete embankment the plane struck upon landing, a feature some aviation experts argue is uncommon and potentially hazardous at airport runways.
As part of the ongoing probe, South Korean police recently raided the Seoul offices of Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport, according to Reuters.
The full investigation is expected to take months, with authorities vowing to uncover the precise chain of events that led to this devastating accident.
