**Crashed Korean Plane’s Black Box Stopped Recording Four Minutes Before Impact, Investigation Says**
On December 29, a Jeju Air plane crashed at Muan Airport in South Korea, resulting in the loss of 179 lives. The flight, which took off from Bangkok, Thailand, made an emergency landing on the runway, overran the embankment, and burst into flames. The investigation into the crash has now revealed that the flight data recorder stopped recording about four minutes before the plane hit the embankment, leaving authorities with a significant gap in the crucial minutes leading up to the disaster.
The South Korean Ministry of Transportation has announced that the black box, also known as the flight data recorder, was initially analyzed in South Korea and was later sent to a US National Transportation Safety Board laboratory when data was found to be missing. The investigation has revealed that the damaged recorder was shipped to the United States for further analysis in collaboration with the US safety regulators.
The accident occurred on Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which was a Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Bangkok to Muan City in South Korea. According to reports, the pilot told air traffic control that the plane had suffered a bird strike and declared an emergency about four minutes before it crashed into an embankment, burst into flames, and exploded. The two injured crew members who were sitting at the back of the plane were rescued.
A former Transport Ministry accident investigator, Sim Jai-dong, has expressed surprise at the discovery of the missing data in the critical final minutes. He suggested that all power, including backup power, may have been cut off, which is a rare occurrence.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities plan to analyze the data to determine what caused the black box to stop recording. The Ministry of Transportation has assured that the investigation will be transparent, and all relevant information will be shared with the families of the victims.
The families of the victims, however, have expressed concerns over the investigation, saying that the Ministry of Transport should not lead the inquiry and should allow independent experts to participate. They have also raised questions about the design of the embankment, which was built under the “locator” system used to assist planes in landing.
The “locator” system is designed to help planes land safely, but the embankment was made of a hard material and was located close to the end of the runway. The investigation will likely shed more light on the factors that contributed to the crash and whether the design of the embankment played a role in the tragedy.
**FAQs**
Q: What is the status of the investigation into the Korean plane crash?
A: The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are analyzing the data from the flight data recorder to determine what caused it to stop recording about four minutes before the plane crashed.
Q: What is the condition of the victims?
A: The crash resulted in the loss of 179 lives, and two injured crew members were rescued.
Q: What is the cause of the crash?
A: The exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined, but it is believed to have been due to a combination of factors, including the bird strike and the design of the embankment.
Q: Will the families of the victims be involved in the investigation?
A: The Ministry of Transport has assured that the investigation will be transparent, and all relevant information will be shared with the families of the victims.
**Conclusion**
The investigation into the Korean plane crash is ongoing, and it is crucial that authorities uncover the causes of the tragedy. The black box stopped recording about four minutes before the crash, leaving a significant gap in the crucial minutes leading up to the disaster. The investigation will continue to shed light on the factors that contributed to the crash, and it is hoped that the findings will lead to improvements in aviation safety.
