Seoul, Jan 27
South Korean authorities investigating the tragic Jeju Air crash last month released a preliminary accident report on Monday, revealing that the aircraft's Black Box stopped recording approximately 2 kms before the plane approached the runway.
It is the first report as part of the ongoing investigation into the deadly crash at Muan International Airport on December 29, which claimed the lives of 179 of the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800. Only two people survived.
The preliminary findings will be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as well as aviation authorities in the United States, France and Thailand, according to the transportation ministry.
The ICAO, a United Nations agency, mandates that investigators produce a preliminary report within 30 days of an aviation accident. It also encourages the release of a final report within 12 months.
The investigation committee under the transport ministry disclosed the approximate location where the Black Box, comprising the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), stopped functioning.
According to the report, the Black Box stopped recording at 8:58:50 a.m. on December 29, four minutes and seven seconds before the aircraft struck a localiser near the runway after it had hit a flock of birds.
The ministry noted it would take several months to analyze the FDR and the CVR for further verification, Yonhap news agency reported.
The report further stated that the exact timing of the bird strike, the number of birds involved and whether other bird species were present have yet to be determined.
The ministry briefed bereaved families on the preliminary findings during a meeting on Saturday.
Earlier on January 25, Yonhap news agency reported that the ill-fated Jeju Air plane involved in last month's deadly crash had received a warning from Air Traffic Control about bird activity just one minute before its Black Box recording stopped, the transport ministry said.
The ministry had revealed the preliminary findings to the bereaved families following its probe into the fatal crash of the low-cost carrier plane from Bangkok.
The government had planned to release the preliminary report by Monday, the ministry said.
The investigation committee under the ministry had stated that surveillance footage from the time of the accident at Muan International Airport had confirmed that the plane had attempted a go-around when it had hit a flock of birds.
- IANS