It is presumed that the cause of the accident, in which a Jeju Air passenger plane collided with the outer wall of Muan International Airport upon landing on the 29th, resulting in most passengers being reported dead, is a "bird strike." However, to determine the exact cause of the accident, the "black box" must be retrieved and analyzed. Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, said in a briefing that day, "Once the accident response is somewhat complete, we will retrieve the black box."
The black box, which is essential for determining the cause of the aircraft accident, contains two main types of information. First, it records conversations between the captain and the copilot, as well as communications between the cockpit and the control tower. Additionally, it logs flight information such as the aircraft's altitude, speed, alarm operation status, landing gear status, and engine status.
When an aircraft accident occurs, the black box is designed to signal its location using an acoustic transmitter. For this purpose, it is equipped with a battery that can operate for about 30 days. Contrary to its name, the black box is actually made as a metallic box in red or orange. This is done to make it easy to spot during the search process.