Flight data recorder to be sent to the NTSB
As investigators strive to determine the cause of the deadly Jeju Air disaster in Muan, South Korea, the two critical black boxes are likely to give significant information on the sequence of events that led to the catastrophe.
Authorities have recovered the black boxes from the debris, but retrieving information from the flight data recorder (FDR) has proven tough. It was apparently damaged after the collision, and it has been determined that transporting it to the United States is the best course of action.
According to The Korean Herald, the FDR is also missing a “connector,” a small component used for data transfer and power delivery. An attempt to repair and study it in South Korea did not seem fruitful.
Ju Jong-wan, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, stated that FDRs are sometimes delivered by ship, but in this case, they will be sent by air to expedite the procedure.
The South Korean government has also stated that investigators from the country, in addition to the NTSB, will be participating in the data analysis process and that it will not be conducted alone. Ju added:
“Repairing the connector or finding a replacement is a complex process that could risk damaging the data if not handled carefully. The most reliable option is to collaborate with the NTSB.”
Data from the cockpit voice recorder extracted
Meanwhile, the other black box, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), is making good progress. According to sources, data has been retrieved from the CVR, and teams are attempting to convert it to voice recordings.
According to the Korean Herald, initial data revealed a dialog between the pilots and air traffic control, as well as a mutual decision to land on the opposite runway. The report reports the Transport Ministry as saying,
“The air traffic controller guided the pilot to the nearest direction, and the pilot agreed to proceed with the landing attempt.”
All victims identified
The Jeju plane tragedy was one of the deadliest plane crashes in South Korean history, killing 179 people. Only two passengers survived the crash: two cabin crew members sitting in the back of the ill-fated Boeing 737-800.
The catastrophe has put the country in mourning, and the laborious work of identifying the fatalities is finally complete. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters has authenticated the identities of all 179 people killed in the tragedy, and as of December 1, 21 victims have been turned over to their families.
The actual cause of the disaster will not be known until the investigation is completed, although various sources indicate that the aircraft was struck by a bird just before landing. However, this does not explain why the aircraft’s landing gear failed to deploy.
In the footage circulating online, the Boeing 737-800 is seen descending on its belly at high speed with its flaps not adjusted for landing. There are also questions about the presence of a concrete wall 250 meters from the runway’s end.
These structures are designed to break apart if hit, but this was not the case in the Jeju Air disaster. Many experts believe that if the wall had not existed, many more people would have survived.