Official investigation report by South Korean authorities or National Transportation Safety Board

South Korea Probes Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 Crash at Muan Airport, 179 Dead

Jan 1, 2025, 06:41 AM

Investigators have extracted initial data from one of the black boxes of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 that crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing 179 people. The plane, carrying 181 passengers from Thailand, issued a mayday call before belly-landing and hitting a barrier, bursting into flames. Two flight attendants survived the incident. The cockpit voice recorder's data has been retrieved and is set to be converted into an audio format, which will allow investigators to hear the pilots' final communications. The flight data recorder, however, was found with a missing connector, complicating data extraction efforts. South Korean authorities, along with U.S. investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing, are examining the crash site. The investigation is focusing on potential causes such as a bird strike and the plane's collision with a concrete barrier at the end of the runway. All victims have been identified, and the process of returning the bodies to their families has begun.