Seoul, Jan 4, 2025
South Korean investigators were set to finalise compiling the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of the crashed Jeju Air plane, the transport ministry said on Saturday.
The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is expected to draw up the complete transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, or CVR, on Saturday as part of its probe into Sunday’s crash at South Korea’s Muan International Airport that killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard.
The recording may hold clues to the final moments of the crash, though the ministry will not make it public until the investigation is completed.
The flight data recorder, or FDR, is in the process of being prepared for transport to the United States for analysis, according to the ministry, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Jeju Air jet from Bangkok to Muan belly-landed following a mayday call before slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of the airport’s runway and going up in flames.
South Korean and US officials, including those from its manufacturer Boeing, have been working to find the cause of the accident. Some have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the concrete barrier as possible issues.
The Jeju Air jet crashed on landing at Muan International Airport in the county of South Jeolla Province last Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard.
Of the bodies, 103 were transferred to their families, and the remainder are at a temporary morgue before being sent to their families, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
The investigators had on Friday recovered the aircraft engine from the Jeju Air crash as they are focusing on determining the cause of the accident.
The government is also working to recover the tail section of the aircraft. Authorities had briefly halted the process after blood traces were discovered inside the fuselage.
Officials plan to determine whether the blood belongs to a passenger or an animal, such as a bird, through detailed forensic analysis.(Agency)
