SEOUL, South Korea — The black containers of a Boeing jetliner that crashed in South Korea final month stopped recording about 4 minutes earlier than the accident, South Korean officers stated Saturday, probably complicating investigations into the reason for the catastrophe that killed 179 folks.
After analyzing the units, the U.S. Nationwide Transportation Security Board concluded that each the flight information and cockpit voice recorders stopped working about 4 minutes earlier than the crash, the South Korean Transportation Ministry stated.
The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air skidded off a runway within the South Korean city of Muan on Dec. 29 after its touchdown gear didn’t deploy, slamming right into a concrete construction and bursting into flames, killing all however two of the 181 folks on board.
After initially analyzing the black containers, South Korean officers despatched the units to the NTSB for nearer examination after discovering that among the information was lacking. The transportation ministry stated it wasn’t instantly clear why the units didn’t document information within the final 4 minutes.
“Knowledge from the CVR ( cockpit voice recorder) and FDR (flight information recorder) are essential in investigating accidents, however such investigations are carried out by means of the examination and evaluation of assorted sources of knowledge, and we plan to do our utmost to find out the reason for the accident,” the ministry stated in a press release.
South Korean investigators have stated that air site visitors controllers warned the pilot about doable fowl strikes two minutes earlier than the plane issued a misery sign confirming {that a} fowl strike had occurred, after which the pilot tried an emergency touchdown.
South Korean officers have additionally pledged to enhance airport security after consultants linked the excessive loss of life toll to Muan airport’s localizer system, the construction hit by the plane because it crashed. The localizer, a set of antennas designed to information plane throughout landings, was housed in a concrete construction coated with dust on an elevated embankment. This has raised questions on whether or not the construction ought to have been constructed with lighter supplies that may break extra simply upon impression.
