SEOUL, (TDI): South Korean officials announced on Saturday that the black boxes from a jet that crashed last month at Muan International Airport stopped recording before the crash, with data from the final four minutes missing, Yonhap News reported.
An analysis by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the Jeju Air passenger plane revealed that both devices stopped recording about four minutes before the aircraft collided with a localizer structure.
The crash occurred at 9:03 a.m. on Dec. 29, when the plane struck a concrete mound housing localizer equipment after skidding without its landing gear deployed.
The FDR and CVR ceased recording data at 8:59 a.m.
“The investigation is analyzing various sources, including air traffic control records, video footage of the crash, and debris from the site,” investigators said.
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Last week, the black box components were sent to the NTSB in Washington for cross-verification to ensure data accuracy.
South Korean investigators sent to the NTSB are expected to return next week to continue their probe.
The Jeju Air flight crashed during landing on Dec. 29, killing 179 people on board. Only two flight attendants survived, rescued from the tail section of the plane.
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A transport ministry official confirmed that a bird strike had occurred before the crash.
