South Korea is mourning the deaths of 179 people killed in the worst plane crash ever to occur on its soil. Now, the most important topic of discussion is the reasons that led to the accident. Investigations continue on the two black boxes removed from the plane. The plane’s black boxes will allow investigators to hear the pilots’ last communications. However, it was stated that the flight data recorder “was found with a missing link”. The unexpected damage to the device could prolong efforts to get to the bottom of the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
South Korean investigators are still investigating the cause of the Jeju Air plane crash, which killed all but two of the 181 people on board.
Experts managed to extract data from one of two “black boxes” taken from the plane.
LANDING GEAR DIDN’T DEPLOY, WHAT ABOUT?
The country’s Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation, Joo Jong-wan, said that the first data was received from the cockpit voice recorder of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft and the contents were converted into audio format.
Authorities hope the voice recorder, along with a second black box containing the flight data recorder, will provide important clues about the pilot’s attempt to land after the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy.
THE PLANE TURNED INTO A FIREBALL
A mayday call was made from the cockpit when the plane, which was on a return flight from Thailand and had 175 passengers and six crew members, landed face down on the Muan International Airport runway in the southwest of the country.
While the plane was speeding down the runway, it hit the barriers and caught fire.
Everyone on board died, only two flight attendants were pulled from the burning wreckage at the rear of the plane.
THERE IS MISSING IN THE DATA
According to the news on NTV; “The first extraction of the cockpit voice recorder has already been completed. Based on this preliminary data, we plan to start converting it into audio format,” Joo said. he said.
The plane’s black boxes will allow investigators to hear the pilots’ last communications.
However, it was stated that the flight data recorder “was found with a missing link”.
EFFORTS TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT MAY BE PROLONGED
While it is not yet clear how long it will take for authorities to convert data from the voice recorder, the damage to the flight data recorder could prolong efforts to get to the bottom of the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
The South Korean Ministry of Transport announced that the plane’s flight data recorder will be sent to the USA for analysis.
Black boxes are usually located in the tail of an aircraft—experience shows that the tail sustains the least damage in a crash—and are designed to withstand high-speed crashes and fires.