"'Flight Recorder' Black Box with Missing Parts Taken to the U.S. for Analysis" (Comprehensive)

Another black box, the voice recording device, will take about two days to convert the audio files

One of the two black boxes from the accident aircraft, the 'Flight Data Recorder (FDR)'. Some parts are broken and separated. (Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

One of the two black boxes crucial for determining the cause of the Jeju Air passenger plane accident at Jeonnam Muan International Airport, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), has some damaged components and will be transferred to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington for analysis.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), the main government agency overseeing aviation safety, announced this during a briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex at 3 p.m. on the 1st, chaired by Director General Joo Jong-wan of the Aviation Policy Office. They stated, "It has been determined that data extraction from the damaged FDR is not possible domestically, so we have agreed to transfer it to the U.S. for analysis with the cooperation of the NTSB."

MOLIT revealed that the connector inside the FDR was missing. The connector is a thin, wide, ribbon-like component responsible for power supply and data transmission. Until the morning of the same day, MOLIT was technically reviewing whether data extraction could be done in Korea without the connector, but by the afternoon, they decided to send it to the U.S.

One of the two black boxes from the aircraft, the 'Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)'. The voice recording is currently being analyzed. (Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

MOLIT explained, "The Accident Investigation Committee conducted a technical review on whether the missing connector could be replaced and if any replacement could be perfectly attached. However, since this was not feasible, sending it to the U.S. was judged to be the fastest way to verify the data."

Regarding the reason for sending it to the U.S., they said, "Repairing the connector involves creating and fitting a replacement part, which is not a simple task, and experts warned that opening it carelessly could cause various issues with data preservation."

MOLIT added, "The FDR does not appear to be severely damaged externally. The actual condition of the data can only be confirmed once data extraction begins."

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They also stated, "There is a close cooperative system between the Accident Investigation Committee and the NTSB, and there is a history of cooperation with accident authorities in the U.S., France, and others. The U.S. is not analyzing it alone; our experts will accompany them for joint work."

The Accident Investigation Committee is currently converting data extracted from the other black box, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), into audio file format. MOLIT said, "It will take about two days to complete the conversion."

MOLIT is conducting a full inspection of Boeing 737-800 aircraft of the same model as the accident aircraft. There are 101 such planes operating domestically. A MOLIT official stated, "We are focusing on the landing gear, engine, and maintenance records."