Authorities have revealed that a key component is missing from a device that could shed light on South Korea’s deadliest plane crash, potentially delaying the investigation into the accident that claimed 179 lives.
The flight data recorder, one of the two “black boxes” retrieved from the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane that exploded at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning, is missing a connector that links the data storage unit to the power storage unit, according to a senior transport ministry official, according to Bloomberg.
“An expert is continuously looking for ways to restore the data inside the recorder,” Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan said at a briefing on Dec 31. The ministry will try to resolve the issue “as soon as possible”, Joo said, without clarifying how long it would take.
Authorities have secured another key piece of evidence, the cockpit voice recorder, which captures radio transmissions, the pilot’s voice, and engine noises.
Both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder will be examined by a joint investigation group starting December 31, which includes US aviation authorities and officials from Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737-800.
Investigators suspect that bird strikes may have contributed to the accident, based on communications between the airport control tower and the pilot prior to the crash. The control tower issued a bird-strike warning just two minutes before the pilot declared a mayday emergency, moments before the plane crashed into a wall at the end of the runway and exploded.
Korean authorities have interviewed two control tower officials who were on duty at the time of the crash, although they have not provided further details.
Investigators are also examining why the landing gears failed to function as the plane approached the ground and whether the localiser—an instrument designed to guide planes during landing—played any role in the crash.
