A preliminary report published by authorities revealed that the black box of the plane that suffered a fatal accident in South Korea stopped recording two kilometers before reaching the runway. The accident occurred on December 29 at Muan International Airport, claiming the lives of 179 of the 181 people on board.
According to the report, the black box stopped recording at 8:58:50 AM on December 29, four minutes and seven seconds before the plane collided with a locator near the runway. The exact moment of impact with the bird that allegedly caused the accident has not yet been determined, nor the number of birds involved.
The explosion of the Boeing 737-800 occurred at 9:03 AM, after the aircraft crashed into a concrete wall off the runway, without deploying the landing gear or other braking devices. The pilot issued a distress alert minutes before landing, informing the control tower about the bird strike on the aircraft.
The South Korean Ministry of Transport emphasized that while black box data is crucial for the investigation of the accident, it is not their only source of information. They will continue to analyze air traffic records, video recordings of the accident, and debris found at the crash site.
Due to the accident, the low-cost airline Jeju Air has decided to reduce its services from Busan during the first quarter to reinforce its aircraft maintenance operations. The company took this measure amidst the investigation to determine the causes of the tragic event.
