Jeju Air’s black boxes stopped recording for four minutes before crash

The two black boxes on the Jeju Air jet that crashed and killed 179 people, stopped recording about four minutes before the diaster, according to officials.

The two black boxes on the Jeju Air jet that crashed and killed 179 people, stopped recording about four minutes before the diaster, according to officials.

The Boeing plane was travelling from Thailand to South Korea when it crashed upon landing at Muan Airport just after 9am local time on December 29.

The jet was carrying 181 passengers when it exploded into flames after hitting an embankment - two crew members survived in what has been deemed the worst-ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil.

According to South Korea’s transport ministry, there was no flight data and cockpit voice recorders for four minutes.

Firefighters and rescue personnel work near the wreckage of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Picture: Jung Yeon-Je / AFP

The damaged flight data recorder had been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction by South Korean authorities, who sent it to the United States for analysis at the US National Transportation Safety Board laboratory.

“The analysis revealed that both the CVR and FDR data were not recorded during the four minutes leading up to the aircraft’s collision with the localiser,” the transport ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The two black boxes on the Boeing jet stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, officials have said. Picture: Jung Yeon-Je / AFP

The localiser is a barrier at the end of the runway that helps with aircraft landings and was blamed for exacerbating the crash’s severity.

It appears the two boxes holding clues to the flight’s final moments experienced data loss, leaving authorities trying to find out what happened.

“Plans are in place to investigate the cause of the data loss during the ongoing accident investigation,” the ministry said.

South Korean and US investigators are still probing the cause of the crash, which prompted a national outpouring of mourning with memorials set up across the country.

The damaged flight data recorder had been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction by South Korean authorities, who sent it to the United States for analysis at the US National Transportation Safety Board laboratory. Picture: Yonhap/AFP

‘Committed’

Investigators said the boxes were crucial to their probe but added they would not give up on trying to find out why the crash happened.

“The investigation will be conducted through the examination and analysis of various data. The Committee is committed to doing its best to accurately determine the cause of the accident,” the ministry said.

A crane lifts the tail section during the salvage operation of the Jeju Air aircraft. Picture: Yonhap/AFP

The aircraft was carrying 181 people. Two crew members survived. Picture: Yonhap/AFP

Investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the runway barrier as possible issues.

The pilot warned of a bird strike before pulling out of a first landing, then crashed on a second attempt when the landing gear did not emerge.

This week, lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol told reporters that “feathers were found” in one of the plane’s recovered engines, but cautioned a bird strike does not lead to an immediate engine failure.

Authorities have raided offices at Muan airport where the crash took place, a regional aviation office in the southwestern city, and Jeju Air’s office in the capital Seoul.

They also barred Jeju Air’s chief executive from leaving the country. Rival parties later formed a joint task force to probe the crash, while Transport Minister Park Sang-woo offered his resignation this week.

“As the minister responsible for aviation safety, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility regarding this tragedy,” he said.

The plane was largely carrying South Korean holiday-makers back from year-end trips to Bangkok, except for two Thai passengers.