It has been revealed that the black box recording of the Jeju Air aircraft involved in last year’s tragic crash at South Korea’s Muan International Airport stopped approximately 2 km before the runway.
On Monday, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) of South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport published a preliminary report containing these findings.
This report marks the first formal investigation document released by the ARAIB following the accident. The report has been submitted to the United States and France, where the aircraft and engine were manufactured, as well as to Thailand, where fatalities occurred. It has also been made available on the ARAIB website.
The report disclosed the approximate location of the aircraft when the black box, consisting of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), stopped recording. The black box recording stopped at 8:58:50 a.m. on December 29, four minutes and seven seconds before the aircraft collided with a localizer mound at Muan Airport.
At the time of the recording halt, the aircraft was flying over the sea, approximately 1.1 nautical miles (about 2,037 meters) from the start of Runway 01, where it had initially been scheduled to land.
The aircraft’s speed at the time was 161 knots (approximately 298 km/h), and its altitude was 498 feet (about 151 meters). The ARAIB’s investigations found feathers and blood from a Eurasian teal in both engines, suggesting that a bird strike occurred around this time.
Six seconds after the black box stopped recording, the pilot declared a Mayday due to the bird strike and attempted a go-around by gaining altitude. Subsequently, the aircraft flew above the left side of the runway, then turned to the right before crash-landing on Runway 19, which was in the opposite direction of the initially intended landing. The landing gear and flaps were not deployed during the crash landing. The aircraft collided with a mound and exploded.
The report also included photos of the accident site, showing the rear fuselage, lower fuselage, and an engine buried in a mound of dirt.
The ARAIB stated, “To identify the exact cause of the accident, we will conduct a comprehensive investigation, including analyses of the bird strike, engine teardown inspection, FDR and CVR data, air traffic control records, and detailed examinations of components and localizer facilities.” They added, “If necessary for safety and improvements during the investigation, we will review the findings and issue urgent safety recommendations.”
The ARAIB further noted that it is cooperating with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) on the investigation. Joint investigations will continue as needed.
