The South Korean government has decided to send the flight data recorder from the crashed Jeju Air plane to the United States for further analysis. This decision was confirmed on Wednesday by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as reported by a local News Agency.
The ministry stated that the exact timeline for transferring the device will be finalised in collaboration with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The flight recorder, recovered from the wreckage of the Jeju Air B737-800 aircraft at Muan International Airport, was found to be significantly damaged. It had external damage, including a missing connector that links its data storage unit to the power source.
The director of the aviation policy division at the ministry, Joo Jong-wan, explained that the extent of the damage made it impossible to extract data in South Korea. He added that the NTSB had agreed to assist with the analysis in the United States.
Earlier this week, a team from the United States arrived in South Korea to join the investigation. South Korean officials, led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, began a joint inquiry into the incident on Tuesday at Muan International Airport.
The initial investigation focused on the navigation system, specifically the localiser. This system, installed on a concrete structure at Muan International Airport, plays a critical role in guiding aircraft during landings.
Officials suspect that this system may have contributed to the severity of casualties during the Jeju Air crash.
The crash, which occurred on Sunday morning, resulted in the tragic loss of 179 lives. The incident involved a Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. Two people miraculously survived.
According to reports, the aircraft failed to deploy its landing gear, causing it to belly-land on the runway. It skidded off course, struck a concrete wall, and burst into flames.
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