Firefighters examine the wreckage of the plane that crashed after going off the runway, at Muan International Airport, South Korea, December 31, 2024. KIM HONG-JI / REUTERS The two black boxes of the Jeju Air’s Boeing that crashed Dec. 29 in Muan, South Korea, stopped recording four minutes before the crash that killed 179 of 181 passengers, it said Saturday January 11 the South Korean Ministry of Transport. “Analysis revealed that the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were not recording during the four minutes preceding the plane’s collision” with the wall at the end of the runway and caused dislocate the device, the ministry reported in a press release. This Boeing 737-800 from the South Korean low-cost airline Jeju Air, coming from Bangkok, landed on its belly at Muan airport (southwest) and crashed into the obstacle. A total of 179 passengers died. Only a flight attendant survived the crash, South Korea’s worst air disaster to date. The authorities planned to “investigate the cause of the data loss”, underlines the press release. Joint investigations between South Korean and American experts, including from Boeing, were launched after the tragedy. Read also | South Korea: the final toll of a plane crash, the most serious in the country’s history, stands at 179 dead and 2 survivors Read later The avenues mentioned so far to explain the Jeju flight accident Air 2216 are a bird strike and landing gear malfunction. The presence at the end of the runway of the obstacle struck by the plane – a navigation aid tool installed on a mound reinforced with concrete – is also the subject of an investigation. Before the accident, the pilot had sent a warning message about a collision with birds before canceling his first landing attempt. On his second try, the gear was not out. The Minister of Transport proposes his resignation The flight data recorder keeps track of parameters such as the speed and altitude of the aircraft, but also many other variables, thanks to numerous sensors. The cockpit voice recorder keeps the pilots’ conversations. This information normally provides more information to understand what happened before a crash. The investigation team “is committed to doing its best to precisely determine the cause of the accident,” assured the ministry, which added that “various data” had to be studied. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover On Tuesday, lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol told reporters that “feathers were found” in the one of the plane’s engines, specifying however that a collision with a bird did not result in immediate engine failure. “We need to determine if both engines were affected. It is certain that one of the engines suffered a collision with a bird,” he continued. Authorities conducted several searches in connection with the accident, including at Muan Airport and the Jeju Air offices in Seoul. The company’s boss, Kim E-bae, is prohibited from leaving the country. In Parliament, rival parties formed a joint commission to shed light on the crash. Transport Minister Park Sang-woo has offered to resign, according to his spokesperson. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Jeju Air crash: the South Korean government has ordered an inspection of the country’s Boeing 737-800 Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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