The South Korean Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Commission (ARI) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport published a preliminary report containing the results of the investigation on the 27th January.
This is the first official report from the investigative authority in the Transport Ministry's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, into the deadly crash at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, which claimed the lives of 179 of the 181 people aboard the Jeju Air Boeing 737 arriving from Bangkok, Thailand.
The accident aircraft is a B737-800 (registration number HL8088), manufactured by Boeing in the United States. It was first delivered to Ryanair, the European low-cost carrier (LCC), on September 4, 2009, and then leased to Jeju Air on February 3, 2017.
The captain (45) had a total flight time of 6,823 hours, of which 6,096 hours were flown on the accident aircraft (2,559 hours as captain) type. The first officer (35) had flown a total of 1,650 hours, of which 1,339 hours were flown on the accident aircraft type.
According to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the pilot of the accident plane sent a mayday (emergency declaration) due to the bird strike 6 seconds after the black box recording stopped, and increased the altitude and made a go-around.
The pilot, who was attempting a go-around, landed on Runway 19, opposite Runway 01, without lowering the landing gear. Afterwards, he collided with the azimuth facility, causing a fire and explosion.
The impact of the bird strike on the malfunction of the aircraft devices, including the black box, and the background of the go-around and change of landing runway will likely be revealed through future investigations.
The preliminary findings will be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as aviation authorities in the United States, France and Thailand, according to the transportation ministry.
The ICAO, the United Nations agency, mandates that investigators produce a preliminary report within 30 days of an aviation accident. It also encourages the release of a final report within 12 months.
The investigation committee under the transport ministry disclosed the approximate location where the black box, comprising the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), stopped functioning.
The report disclosed the approximate flight location when the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) records of the aircraft’s black box stopped at the same time.
The black box records have not been available since 8:58:50 AM on the 29th of last month, 4 minutes and 7 seconds before the aircraft crashed into the azimuth facility (localizer) ridge at Muan Airport.
The report also includes photos of the scene of the accident and both engines buried in a pile of dirt. The aviation commission plans to disassemble and inspect the engines for a detailed analysis.
An official from the aviation commission said,
“There may be errors in the information included in the preliminary report, and the final report will contain revised information,” adding, “We will do our best to conduct all processes fairly and clearly identify the cause of the accident.”
The report also disclosed details of the bird strike after analyzing DNA samples from feathers and blood stains on the aircraft, identifying the birds involved as Baikal teals.
The ministry noted it would take several months to analyze the FDR and the CVR for further verification.The ministry briefed bereaved families on the preliminary findings during a meeting Saturday.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute stated,
“We will comprehensively investigate the bird strike, engine disassembly inspection, FDR/CVR data analysis, control data, precision inspection of parts, and azimuth facilities to determine the exact cause of the accident.”
It added further,
“We will review the contents and issue an emergency safety recommendation for matters deemed necessary for safety and improvement during the investigation.” It
“We are cooperating with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the French Air Accident Investigation Board (BEA) in the accident investigation,” and “We plan to continue the joint investigation where necessary.”
Display Picture: Korea Aerospace Research Institute
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