Black Boxes Stopped 4 Minutes Before Plane Crash in South Korea

seoul - The voice and data recorder of the Boeing 737-800 of Jeju Air that crashed on December 29 stopped recording approximately four minutes before the plane hit a concrete structure at Muan Airport in South Korea.

The authorities investigating the crash, which claimed the lives of 179 people, will now analyze what caused the black boxes to stop recording, the ministry said in a statement.

Jeju Air's plane crashed during a second landing attempt, after an earlier attempt was aborted. The pilot had reported hitting birds just before the crash. However, there appear to have been more issues. The aircraft ultimately landed on its belly as the landing gear had not been deployed. The reason for this remains unknown.

Moreover, the aircraft collided with a wall at the end of the runway, which held a concrete structure for an antenna designed to assist landings in poor visibility. The elevation had been built according to regulations, but was deemed insufficiently safe by an aviation vice minister.

After hitting the structure, the aircraft exploded and caught fire. All occupants except two perished.