The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the 'Sajo Committee') completed its initial on-site investigation into the '12.29 Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster' and held a briefing session on the progress of the accident investigation and future plans for the bereaved families at Muan Airport at 13:00 on Saturday, January 25
In addition, in accordance with Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Convention, the preliminary report* will be sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the relevant countries (USA, France and Thailand) by January 27, 30 days after the accident, and will also be published on the website of the SAJO Committee
(Preliminary Report) A report used to promptly disseminate factual information obtained at the beginning of the investigation (aircraft information, status of human and material damage, information confirmed at the scene, etc.) to ICAO, etc.
International Civil Aviation Organization, registration bureau or country where the accident occurred, operating country, design bureau, production country
In accordance with international regulations, the United States of America (NTSB), the country that designed and manufactured the aircraft, and France (BEA), the country that manufactured aircraft engines, participated in the accident investigation as new representatives.
Sazowi was dispatched to the scene immediately after the accident and examined the wreckage of the aircraft, major parts. We have been concentrating on investigating the airframe and engine, creating a wreckage distribution map through drone photography, collecting samples, and securing operation and maintenance data.
We are jointly investigating the accident in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, December 31, 2024~) and the French Accident Investigation Authority (BEA, January 14, 2025~).
At the end of the on-site survey, all debris such as fuselage and wings were dispersed and moved from the accident site to the hangar of Muan Airport (1.17).
At the request of the operator of Muan Airport (Korea Airports Corporation), the airport will be closed until April 18 for the restoration of facilities.
As of January 20th, the initial on-site survey has been completed, and the debris that needs detailed analysis has been transported to the Sazowi Test and Analysis Center (Gimpo Airport) (1.21), and if necessary, the investigation will continue to travel to and from Muan Airport.
In order to grasp the operation status of the accident aircraft, external influences, and abnormalities in the airframe and engine, data such as black boxes (flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR)) and control communication records are being synchronized and analyzed by time, which is expected to require months of detailed analysis and verification.
As far as we know, the black box data stopped recording 4 minutes and 7 seconds before the aircraft hit the azimuth facility, and the circumstances before and after the interruption are shown below.
(1) 08:54:43 (hour: minute: second) : Aircraft makes initial contact with the safety control tower for landing approach → control tower clears landing on runway 01
(2) 08:57:50 : The control tower issues bird activity warning information to the aircraft
(3) 08:58:11 : Pilots talk about birds underneath the aircraft
(4) 08:58:50 : FDR and CVR records stopped at the same time * (at the time of recording stopped) Speed : 161 kts (knots) / altitude 498 ft.
(5) 08:58:56 (time calculated from CVR record) : During the return of the aircraft, the pilot issued an emergency declaration ('Mayday') due to bird strikes in the control tower. * (Regular Observation Information at the time) Wind 110 kts from direction 2 km / visibility 9,000 m / clouds 4,500 ft with light clouds / temperature 2°C / sea level pressure 1028 hPa, no special weather change
(6) Approx. 4 minutes: Fly over the left side of the runway, turn to the right to land on runway 19, and approach the runway with → Glide after landing on the fuselage with the landing gear not lowered
(7) 09:02:57 : Exceeding the runway and colliding with azimuth facilities
※ Depending on the results of the final accident investigation, the contents and time may be partially modified.
Sazowi confirmed in airport surveillance camera (CCTV) footage that he came into contact with birds during the return flight, and feathers and blood stains were found on both engines during an engine inspection. As a result of requesting genetic analysis from a domestic specialized agency, it was determined that it was the feathers and blood stains of the 'singing duck'. (Baikal Teal)
It is not known whether the rediscovered samples contain bird populations or other types of birds, and plans are being made for an engine overhaul to check the condition of the engine and collect additional samples.
The Sazowi will continue to conduct an analysis of the overall operation of the aircraft, including scrutiny of the wreckage, analysis of the black box, verification of flight log documents, and interviews with witnesses, and will immediately issue safety advisories to airlines if urgent safety measures are needed during the accident investigation.
In addition, we plan to study the localizer mound and bird impacts that require more specialized investigation and analysis through a separate service.
The Sazowi will continue to make efforts to inform the bereaved families of the progress of the accident investigation as the first priority, and will continue to collect opinions through public hearings.
Until now, we have been urgently working on the first response and investigation on the spot, but from now on, we will carefully analyze the details step by step based on the information collected by each group, such as operations and maintenance, and conduct a thorough investigation.
We will do our best to conduct all processes fairly and determine the exact cause of the accident.
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