Details from Moments Before the Crash of 'Jeju Air' Plane Are Missing

The South Korean Ministry of Transport announced on January 13 that the black box of the Jeju Air passenger plane stopped recording flight details four minutes before the deadly incident last month, and information from these crucial moments is unavailable. According to Reuters, this passenger plane caught fire after leaving the runway and colliding with a concrete block, resulting in the deaths of 179 occupants in the worst aviation disaster in South Korea's history. The investigative team previously stated that these moments, which include flight data and cockpit audio, are key to uncovering the cause of the crash. The black box ceased recording four minutes after the pilot reported a bird strike. South Korean officials stated they are analyzing why both black boxes stopped recording flight details before the crash. The statement added that the black box recorder was initially analyzed in South Korea but was sent to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board laboratory following the loss of the minutes before the crash. Black box recorders collect data on pilot communications in the cockpit and how the aircraft's systems operate during flight. The Jeju Air passenger plane, which had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, for 'Muan' in southwestern South Korea, exited the runway during a failed emergency landing on January 9 and exploded after hitting an obstacle. Only two crew members seated at the rear of the plane survived. Sim Ji-dong, a former accident investigator at the South Korean Ministry of Transport, told Reuters that the discovery of missing data from the last crucial minutes of the Boeing aircraft is very surprising and indicates that all power, including support systems, may have been cut off, which is rare. The South Korean Ministry of Transport stated that other available data will be used in the investigation and assured that results will be published transparently. Some family members of the victims say that the South Korean Ministry of Transport should not be responsible for the investigation, and independent experts approved by the families are a more suitable option. Meanwhile, the investigation into why a concrete barrier was built at the end of the runway, which led to such a disaster, continues.