The black boxes from a Boeing jetliner that crashed in South Korea last month failed to record the final four minutes of its flight. According to South Korean officials, these devices stopped recording data about four minutes before the crash occurred. This development has complicated investigations into the cause of the accident, which killed 179 people.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) previously concluded that both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders stopped working around the same time, approximately four minutes before the crash. The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air skidded off a runway in Muan on December 29 due to its landing gear failing to deploy.
South Korean officials sent the black boxes to the NTSB for further examination after discovering missing data. It remains unclear why the devices failed to record data during this critical period. The investigation aims to determine the cause of the accident, considering factors like air traffic controllers’ warnings about possible bird strikes and the pilot’s subsequent emergency landing.
Experts have linked the high death toll to Muan airport’s localizer system, which was housed in a concrete structure that crashed with the aircraft. This has raised questions about the necessity of using lighter materials for similar structures. South Korean officials plan to improve airport safety measures as part of their investigation into this tragic incident.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/black-boxes-south-korea-plane-crash-failed-record-117577135