Jeju Aeroplane received bird activity warning one minute before black box stopped: Ministry

IANS January 25, 2025 420 views

The Jeju Aeroplane crash investigation has revealed critical moments leading to the tragic accident. Air traffic control warned the pilots about bird activity just before the black box stopped recording. Investigators found evidence of bird strikes on both engines, which likely caused the plane's catastrophic systems failure. The preliminary report, set to be released soon, will provide more insights into this devastating aviation incident.

"The recording appears to have stopped at 8:58:50 a.m., suggesting that the plane probably lost power after both engines were shut down" - Transport Ministry Investigation
Seoul, Jan 25: The ill-fated Jeju Aeroplane in last month's deadly crash received a warning from air traffic control about bird activity just one minute before its black box recording stopped, South Korea's Transport Ministry said on Saturday.

Key Points

1

Bird strike warning issued one minute before recording stopped

2

Plane attempted go-around after hitting bird flock

3

Feathers and blood found on both aircraft engines

4

Crash killed 179 people with only two survivors

The ministry briefed the preliminary findings to the bereaved families following its probe into the fatal crash of the low-cost carrier plane from Bangkok that killed 179 people on board and left two survivors in South Korea's southwestern city of Muan on December 29 last year, reports Yonhap news agency.

The government plans to release the preliminary report by Monday, which will be sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United States, France and Thailand, the ministry said.

The investigation committee under the ministry said surveillance footage from the time of the accident at Muan International Airport confirmed that the plane attempted a go-around when it hit a flock of birds.

The plane first communicated with the air traffic control tower at 8:54:43 a.m. as it was approaching for landing. The control tower cleared it for landing on Runway 01, in the opposite direction of the runway where the accident happened.

At 8:57:50 a.m., the control tower issued a warning to the aircraft about a potential bird strike. At 8:58:11 a.m., the captain and first officer talked about a flock of birds flying below the aircraft.

The recording appears to have stopped at 8:58:50 a.m., suggesting that the plane probably lost power after both engines were shut down due to the bird strikes.

Feathers and blood, apparently of a type of winter migratory ducks, were found on both engines, the ministry said.

The pilot is believed to have declared the emergency "mayday" distress call at 8:58:56 a.m., but this is an estimate made through synchronisation with the control tower records, as no recording of it remains in the black box, the ministry said.

The plane flew for about four minutes before landing from the opposition direction without the landing gear deployed. It rammed into a concrete localiser mound and exploded in flames at 9:02:57 a.m.

The ministry said it will take several months to analyse flight data and cockpit voice recordings for verification.

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Tags:
Aviation Accident Jeju Aeroplane South Korea Air Safety
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