In brief
South Korean authorities confirm the flight recorder of a plane that crashed last month ceased operations just four minutes prior to the disaster, complicating efforts to determine the cause of the accident.
The Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 tragically went down in late December at Muan Airport, leading to the fatalities of 179 out of 181 people onboard. According to South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the aircraft's black box, which encompasses both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, stopped functioning without explanation. The last recorded data just before the crash was deemed vital for the ongoing investigation, which involves collaboration with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.The flight originating from Bangkok was on approach to Muan International Airport when the pilot issued multiple Mayday calls, citing a bird strike as he attempted to execute a go-around maneuver. However, the plane, a Boeing 737-800, subsequently lost control, deploying its landing gear too late, resulting in the plane landing on its belly and overshooting the runway. Minutes later, the aircraft collided with a concrete structure at the airfield's edge, bursting into flames.While investigators will delve into the reasons behind the black box failure, they continue to analyze available information to piece together the events leading to this catastrophic incident.
