Missing Final Minutes of South Korea's Deadliest Air Crash Raise Questions

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders from Jeju Air's recent crash have perplexingly stopped recording just four minutes prior to the disaster, according to South Korea's transport ministry. The accident, which occurred on December 29 at Muan International Airport, resulted in the loss of 179 lives, marking it as the deadliest air mishap in South Korean history. Only two flight attendants managed to survive.As investigators hoped to retrieve valuable information in the final moments leading to the accident, the ministry announced plans to examine why the "black boxes" ceased recording. The recorders underwent initial evaluations in South Korea but were sent to the US for deeper analysis after crucial data was discovered to be missing.On the ill-fated flight from Bangkok, the Boeing 737-800 crashed landed approximately a third of the way down the runway without deploying its landing gear, eventually skidding into a wall and erupting into flames. Sim Jai-dong, a former transport ministry accident investigator, expressed astonishment at the data loss, suspecting that both main and backup power may have been terminated during the flight.Many questions linger about the crash, including the potential impact of weather conditions and a bird strike on the aircraft's failure to deploy landing gear. Investigators have also encountered dissatisfaction from victims' families still awaiting the recovery of their loved ones' remains, further complicating an already harrowing situation.