A Jeju Air crash at South Korea's Muan airport killed 179, with black box data missing. Investigators probe causes, pilot actions, and the embankment's role in the tragedy.
The flight data and cockpit voice recorders on the Jeju Air jet that crashed on Dec. 29 stopped recording about four minutes before the airliner hit a concrete structure at South Korea's Muan airport, the transport ministry said on Saturday.
Authorities investigating the disaster that killed 179 people, the worst on South Korean soil, plan to analyse what caused the "black boxes" to stop recording, the ministry said in a statement.
The voice recorder was initially analysed in South Korea, and, when data was found to be missing, sent to a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board laboratory, the ministry said.
The damaged flight data recorder was taken to the United States for analysis in cooperation with the U.S. safety regulator, the ministry has said.
Jeju Air 7C2216, which departed the Thai capital Bangkok for Muan in southwestern South Korea, belly-landed and overshot the regional airport's runway, exploding into flames after hitting an embankment.
The pilots told air traffic control the aircraft had suffered a bird strike and declared emergency about four minutes before it crashed into the embankment exploding in flames. Two injured crew members, sitting in the tail section, were rescued.
Two minutes before the Mayday emergency call, air traffic control gave caution for "bird activity". Declaring emergency, the pilots abandoned the landing attempt and initiated a go-around.
But instead of making a full go-about, the budget airline's Boeing 737-800 jet took a sharp turn and approached the airport's single runway from the opposite end, crash-landing without landing gear deployed.
Sim Jai-dong, a former transport ministry accident investigator, said the discovery of the missing data from the crucial final minutes was surprising and suggests all power including backup may have been cut, which is rare.
The transport ministry said 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.
Some members of the victims' families have said the transport ministry should not be taking the lead in the investigation but that it should involve independent experts including those recommended by the families.
The investigation of the crash has also focussed on the embankment, which was designed to prop up the "localiser" system used to assist aircraft landing, including why it was built with such rigid material and so close to the end of the runway.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it want...
The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday (27 April) w...
The months-long disarmament process involving the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has made little tangible progress, Turkish intellig...
King Charles and Queen Camilla have begun a landmark visit to the U.S., aimed at reinforcing ties between the two allies at a sensitive moment. The...
China is stepping up efforts to boost domestic spending and U.S. retail giant Walmart is expanding across the country to meet demand....
Families of the Jeju Air crash victims visited the runway embankment at Muan International Airport on Monday, marking the first anniversary of the fatal accident.
South Korean police raid Jeju Air and Muan Airport following a deadly crash that killed 179 people, as investigators probe the cause and focus on aircraft maintenance and airport safety.
South Korea completes identification of all 179 victims of Jeju Air plane crash. Authorities are focusing on the cause of the tragedy, with safety concerns about the airport’s runway design.
South Korea has declared a national mourning period until January 4th following the tragic crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 on December 29. The disaster, which killed 179 people, has left the nation in mourning. A memorial was held on December 30 to honor the victims.
U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner by Secret Service agents after a 31 year old suspect attempted to storm event.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Disney+ has debuted Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, a new collection of animated musical sequences reimagined in American Sign Language (ASL), released on 27 April to mark National Deaf History Month.
Adidas shares rose after Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe delivered a historic performance at the London Marathon on Sunday (26 April), becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.
Market reaction to DeepSeek’s preview of its next-generation artificial intelligence model has been relatively subdued, in sharp contrast to the global shock triggered by its breakthrough releases last year.
The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday (27 April) with attempting to assassinate the U.S. president and could face life in prison if convicted.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have begun a landmark visit to the U.S., aimed at reinforcing ties between the two allies at a sensitive moment. The trip comes as security concerns rise in Washington and political tensions persist over foreign policy.
China is stepping up efforts to boost domestic spending and U.S. retail giant Walmart is expanding across the country to meet demand.
An overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's southern city of Odesa has wounded at least 10 people, including two children, and inflicted severe structural damage across several residential neighbourhoods, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Monday morning.
Taiwan’s defence minister has downplayed the impact of new Chinese sanctions on seven European firms, saying they will not disrupt the island’s access to weapons.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment