Little by little, there are answers. The South Korean authorities investigating the plane crash of the low -cost company Jeju Air, in which 179 of its 181 occupants died, they have published on Monday a first preliminary report that reveals that the black box of the aircraft stopped recording about two kilometers before the track reached. The six -page document focuses its research on the role of a possible clash with migratory birds as a trigger for the worst aerial tragedy in South Korea, and the deadliest of 2024 in the world.
The investigation ensures that both Boeing 737-800 engines contained remains of DNA of Baikal Carcetas, a kind of migratory duck that usually fly in huge flocks to South Korea during the winter. The investigations include an analysis of the engines and the structure of the aircraft landing system with the objective of “determining the exact cause of the accident,” says the report, cited by Reuters.
On December 29, the flight from Bangkok exceeded the track of the Muan International Airport when performing an emergency landing and crashed into a embankment containing navigation equipment (called locators). After the impact, “there was a fire and a partial explosion. Both engines were buried in the mound of earth ground, and the front of the fuselage was spread at a distance between 30 and 200 meters from the embankment, ”he says.
Researchers plan to disassemble the engines, examine the components in depth, analyze the flight data and air traffic control, and investigate the embankment, the locators and the impact tests with birds, indicates the document on the next steps.
The Research Committee has also revealed the moment at which the black box stopped working. The devices stopped recording at 8,58.50 of December 29, four minutes and seven seconds before the passenger plane collided with the locator. The plane was at that time an altitude of 498 feet (152 meters) and flew to 161 knots (298 kilometers per hour). The report adds that the exact moment of the impact or the number of birds involved or other species of present birds has not yet been determined, the Yonhap agency collects.
The authorities advanced on Saturday some of the conclusions to relatives of the victims, with a minute of the events. The plane first communicated with the control tower at 8.54.43 (local time) when it approached to land at Muan airport; This authorized landing on track 01, in the opposite direction to the track where the accident occurred. At 8.57.50, the tower issued a warning to the aircraft on a possible impact with birds. At 8.58.11, the captain and the first officer talked about a flock that flew under the aircraft. The recording seems to have stopped at 8,58.50, which suggests, according to Yonhap, that the plane lost power after both engines went out due to the impact of birds.
It is believed that the pilot declared the call of emergency relief (may Day) at 8.58.56, but it is an estimate made by synchronization with the records of the control tower, since there is no recording in the black box. The plane flew for about four minutes before landing in the opposite direction without the deployed landing train. He crashed into the concrete locator mound and exploded in flames at 9.02.57.
The Ministry of Transport has expressed that it will still take several months to analyze the flight data and the voice recordings of the cabin. The preliminary results will be presented to the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the aviation authorities of the United States, France and Thailand. ICAO requires that a first provisional document be sent 30 days after a sinister and promotes the presentation of the final at 12 months.
