A damaged flight data recorder retrieved from the site of the Jeju Air crash in South Korea will be sent to the United States for analysis after data extraction proved unsuccessful domestically, South Korea’s civil aviation ministry announced on Wednesday.
The crash, which occurred on Sunday, killed 179 people, marking it as the worst aviation disaster in South Korea’s history.
The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand when it made a mayday call before belly-landing, colliding with a concrete barrier, and bursting into flames. Two flight attendants survived after being pulled from the wreckage. Investigators from South Korea, the US, and Boeing have been analyzing the crash site in southwestern Muan.
South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation, Joo Jong-wan, explained that the flight data recorder was too damaged for data extraction and would be transported to the US for further analysis in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The cockpit voice recorder, however, has already undergone an initial data extraction, and further analysis will be conducted on it. Investigators are also reviewing the potential role of a bird strike, as well as a possible mechanical failure related to the landing gear, in the crash.
