The crash of a Jeju Air flight at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Dec. 29, 2024 has left investigators with a lot of questions, especially about the black box failure. The plane hit a concrete structure at the end of the runway during an emergency landing. 179 people died and 2 survived. New information from South Korea’s transport ministry shows air traffic control warned the plane of bird activity one minute before the black box stopped recording.
Black Box Failure and Power Loss
South Korea’s transport ministry says both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder stopped working about four minutes before the crash. Investigators believe this was a total power loss, likely due to bird strikes. Feathers and blood from migratory ducks were found in both engines.
Aviation consultant Julian Bray says older black box models rely on the aircraft’s main power supply rather than having their own independent power:
The power circuit might have cut out just before the crash
The critical four minutes of data were lost. The power failure may have extended to the hydraulics so the landing gear didn’t deploy and the pilot had limited control.
The pilot made a “mayday” call at 8:58:56 a.m. but no recording exists due to the black box failure. Investigators matched control tower records to estimate the timing.
The concrete slab at the end of the Muan International Airport runway where the plane hit has also been under scrutiny. The localiser antenna array, designed to help navigation, was mounted on a thick concrete base, which is against safety standards. Bray said the impact with this slab made the crash worse, creating the fireball that destroyed most of the plane.
As a result, South Korea will now remove the concrete embankment. Similar structures at six other airports are also being replaced.
Jeju Air Crash Investigation
A report is expected by Jan. 27, 2025. The full investigation will take several months.
Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected.
