Decoding the black boxes from the Jeju Air crash in Muan, which claimed 179 lives, is expected to take at least a month, with one box partially damaged, the Transport Ministry reported. If the damage proves severe, the process could extend to six months, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.
Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Transport Ministry, said during a briefing at the Sejong Government Complex Monday morning that both black boxes from Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 have been retrieved and transported to the test and analysis center at Gimpo International Airport.
“One of the two black boxes suffered external damage,” said Joo. “We plan to transport it to Gimpo International Airport in the morning, where experts will examine the extent of the damage and determine how much data can be extracted.”
Aviation accident investigations are often lengthy processes, lasting anywhere from several months to even years, with the initial decoding of the black boxes setting the direction for the entire investigation.
The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, under the auspices of the ministry, confirmed Sunday evening that the Flight Data Recorder from Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, which crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, was partially damaged when recovered.
While the Cockpit Voice Recorder remained intact, the compromised state of the FDR could significantly delay the process of determining the cause of the crash, which claimed the lives of 179 out of 181 people aboard.
“Decoding the FDR alone could take a month,” an ARAIB official, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
If both devices are collected without damage, decoding could take as little as one week.
“If the damage is severe and local analysis proves difficult, we may need to send the device to the National Transportation Safety Board (in the US). In such cases, the decoding could take six months or longer, given the NTSB’s backlog of analysis cases from around the world,” the official added.
However, the ARAIB said it plans to seek cooperation from the NTSB to expedite the process as much as possible, given the large-scale loss of life caused by the fatal crash.
The NTSB is an independent federal agency tasked with investigating civil aviation accidents involving US-manufactured, designed or operated aircraft.
"The NTSB is leading a team of US investigators including Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration to assist the Republic of Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board with their investigation of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air accident at Muan International Airport in Muan," the NTSB said in a post on social platform X.
In addition to the NTSB's cooperation, the engine manufacturer CFM International has also been approached for assistance in the investigation, the ministry said.
Black boxes are crucial tools for aviation accident investigations, offering detailed data on an aircraft’s final moments. The FDR monitors altitude, airspeed and heading, while the CVR records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot's voices and engine noises.
Both are built to withstand an impact of 3,400 times the force of Earth's gravity and temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius.
They are installed in the tail section to minimize damage in crashes. In Sunday's accident, only the two crew members who had been positioned in the tail of the plane survived.
The Jeju Air plane, a Boeing 737-800, crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport in Muan County, on the country’s southwestern tip, after receiving a bird strike warning from the control tower. The plane appeared to belly-land without landing gear before colliding with a concrete embankment and exploding. While it is believed that all three landing gear systems had failed to operate properly, the exact cause of the crash is under investigation.
It was the first fatal flight for Jeju Air. Founded in 2005, the airline is the first and largest low-cost carrier in South Korea.
jenn@heraldcorp.com
