Crash in South Korea: Boeing black box sent to the United States for analysis, first data extracted… where is the investigation at ?

Investigators investigating the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people in South Korea have extracted the first data from one of the Boeing 737-800's black boxes, a government official said Wednesday.

The South Korean low-cost airline's plane was carrying a total of 181 people, including six crew members. All but one flight attendant and one steward died, making it the worst air disaster in history on South Korean soil.

South Korean and American investigators, including from Boeing, are combing through the site of the crash that occurred Sunday morning in Muan (southwest).

Initial extraction

The two black boxes have been recovered. “The initial extraction has already been completed” for the one containing the cockpit conversations, said Joo Jong-wan, vice minister in charge of aviation.

“Based on this preliminary data, we plan to start converting it into audio format”, he added. This should allow investigators to hear the pilots' final communications.

The second black box, the flight data recorder, “was found with a connector missing,” Mr. Joo said.

“Experts are now conducting a final examination to determine how to extract the data.”

Landing gear retracted

The plane, coming from Bangkok, landed on its belly before crashing at high speed into a wall at the end of the runway. Under the force of the impact, the plane folded in two and caught fire.

The possibility of a collision with birds, a fear of pilots, was suggested to explain the accident. The control tower at Muan airport had sent a warning to the plane's crew three minutes before the crash. The pilot had sent a distress message before the emergency landing.

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Jet engines can lose power or even stop completely after sucking in a bird.

However, criticism has focused on the airport’s architecture and in particular the presence of the obstacle hit by the plane.

Concrete wall compliance ?

On Tuesday, South Korea announced that it would review the compliance of the concrete wall at the end of the runway.

The question of a hardware malfunction has also been raised, with local media reporting that the landing gear deployed properly when the pilot tried to land the first time but did not extend on his second attempt.

Videos show the plane making an emergency landing with the landing gear retracted and the flaps unreleased.

The question “will probably be examined […] with a full review of the various testimonies and evidence”, the Ministry of Land, which oversees civil aviation, said at a news briefing.

“Full analysis”

At Muan airport, grieving families are growing frustrated with the slow process of returning remains.

The bodies were badly damaged in the crash, making identification work extremely difficult, authorities said, as investigators struggle to preserve clues at the crash site.

New interim President Choi Sang-mok, who took office last week, announced Wednesday that “during the night, the process of identifying the 179 victims was completed”.

“Our investigators, along with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the manufacturer, are conducting a joint investigation,” Choi said Wednesday at a disaster management meeting.

Status of investigations ?

“A full analysis and review of the plane's structure and (black box) data will reveal the cause of the accident,” he said.

Early on-site investigations have focused on the locator, a landing aid system used at other airports in the country and which, in Muan, was installed on the wall of concrete involved.

The plane was mainly carrying tourists returning from a stay in Thailand. All passengers were Koreans, except for two Thais.

Shrines to the victims have been erected across the country, including in Seoul and at Muan Airport.

Black box to be sent to the United States

South Korea will send one of the black boxes from the Boeing 737-800 to the United States.

Since it is impossible to extract the information contained in the “damaged flight data recorder” on South Korean soil, it was decided today (January 1 2025, Editor's note) to transport it to the United States for analysis in collaboration” with American investigators, Mr. Joo explained during a briefing.