SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — Investigators are focusing on the black boxes from the Jeju Air plane that crashed in South Korea on Sunday, as a combined U.S. and South Korean team works to uncover the cause of the deadliest aviation disaster of 2024.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be key to understanding the events leading up to the crash-landing of the Boeing 737-800 at Muan International Airport. The crash resulted in 179 deaths out of the 181 passengers and crew members onboard. Authorities announced Wednesday that all 179 victims had been formally identified and that 11 bodies had been returned to their families, allowing funerals to begin.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, expressed condolences in a New Year’s Day address, acknowledging the profound sorrow for families during a time meant for togetherness. Choi, who became acting president just days before the crash, emphasized the importance of a comprehensive investigation into the plane’s condition, black box data, and possible contributing factors such as a bird strike, landing gear malfunction, or control system issues.
Investigators are working to extract and convert data from the cockpit voice recorder into audio files, which is expected to take about two days. However, the flight data recorder was damaged, and its data will be sent to the U.S. for analysis. A team from the U.S., including representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing, and engine manufacturer CFM International, has joined the investigation.
On Wednesday, families visited the crash site for a memorial ceremony. Jeju Air CEO Kim E-Bae announced that the airline would cover funeral costs and provide emergency financial assistance. Additionally, the airline plans to reduce its winter operations by up to 15% until March to prioritize operational safety. This includes enhancing flight inspections, weather monitoring, and focusing on the well-being of aviation personnel.
Jeju Air Flight 2216 took off from Bangkok early Sunday morning with 181 people onboard. During the attempted landing at Muan, the plane crashed without deploying its landing gear, igniting a fire after hitting an embankment at the end of the runway. Two cabin crew members in the tail survived, but everyone else was killed. The cause of the landing gear failure remains under investigation.
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