SEOUL, South Korea — On New Year’s Day, mourning family members of those who perished in the recent plane accident in South Korea traveled to the crash site to honor their loved ones, as officials began analyzing data retrieved from one of the black boxes to determine the cause of the tragedy.
Onboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air were 181 individuals, with all but two tragically losing their lives when the aircraft went down at Muan International Airport in the southern part of the country on Sunday.
Footage depicted the plane making a high-speed belly landing without its landing gear, skidding off the runway and crashing into a concrete barrier before erupting into flames. The video suggested the airplane encountered an engine malfunction alongside the landing gear failure.
According to investigators, the pilot was alerted by air traffic control regarding potential bird strikes, and a distress signal was transmitted prior to the incident.
The Transport Ministry announced on Wednesday that the retrieval of data from the cockpit voice recorder — one of the two black boxes salvaged from the wreckage — had been completed. This data will be transformed into audio files for further examination. A flight data recorder that was damaged will be sent to the United States for detailed analysis, the ministry confirmed.
Among the victims were all South Koreans except for two Thai nationals, many of whom were returning from vacation in Bangkok after the Christmas holiday.
The families of those lost arrived on Wednesday for a heartfelt memorial service at the crash site, their first visit since the disaster. They were transported to the location, where they took turns placing white flowers in tribute. Many knelt and bowed in remembrance at a memorial table adorned with offerings, including “ddeokguk,” a traditional Korean rice cake soup typically consumed on New Year’s Day.
The Transport Ministry also reported that the identification process for all 179 victims has been finalized, with 11 bodies already returned to their families.
In response to this catastrophic incident, which marks the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korea in decades, the nation is currently observing a seven-day period of national mourning.
Furthermore, the government has initiated safety checks on all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic airlines. On Tuesday, a group of U.S. investigators, including representatives from Boeing, arrived to inspect the crash site.
Officials are also exploring whether the localizer at the airport, which comprises antennas housed in a concrete barrier at the runway’s end to assist aircraft land safely, should be constructed from lighter materials that could fracture more easily upon impact.
