Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Finding Black Box... Passenger Plane Accident Investigation Takes 6 Months to 3 Years" (Comprehensive)

"Cause of Landing Gear Failure Must Be Investigated"
167 of 181 Passengers Dead as of 5:11 AM

On the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, causing a fire that resulted in a major disaster with most passengers dead. The forensic investigation team is searching for casualties outside the runway at Muan International Airport, Jeonnam. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Joo Jong-wan, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated on the 29th at the Ministry's Sejong Government Complex office regarding the passenger plane crash at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, "We need to check the black box communication records," adding, "Investigations into passenger plane accidents take six months, and up to three years if prolonged." The Ministry recovered the black box containing voice recordings from the accident site.

Director Joo also said, "If the landing gear malfunctions, it can be deployed automatically or manually, but why it did not deploy is a matter that needs to be clarified," and added, "We are currently investigating whether there was any bird activity in the airspace at the time."

According to the Ministry, at around 8:57 a.m. that day, the Muan Airport control tower warned the Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, of bird activity (bird strike), and one minute later, at 8:58 a.m., the pilot of the accident aircraft sent a Mayday signal. The collision occurred about five minutes afterward.

On the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, causing a fire that resulted in a major disaster with most passengers dying. The wreckage of the accident aircraft is placed on the runway at Muan International Airport, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Director Joo explained, "When the pilot first attempted to land, the control tower issued a bird strike caution alert, and shortly after, the pilot declared a Mayday," adding, "At that time, the control tower granted permission to land on the runway opposite to the original direction, which the pilot accepted, and during the subsequent landing process, the aircraft passed over the runway and collided with the outer wall."

The accident aircraft initially attempted to land around 9 a.m. on runway 19, which is the opposite direction of the originally designated runway 01. Then, at 9:03 a.m., three minutes later, the aircraft made an emergency landing on the runway without lowering the landing gear, and unable to reduce speed, it collided with the outer wall of the runway, causing the crash.

As a result of the accident, out of 181 passengers on board, 167 have died as of 5:11 a.m.

The two pilots operating the aircraft had flight experience of 6,823 hours for the captain and 1,650 hours for the first officer. They assumed their current positions in March 2019 and February last year, respectively.