A conversation between pilots and air traffic controllers, partially released in a transcript, could provide clues to the cause of the crash in South Korea that killed 179 people.
The pilots of Jeju Air Flight 2216 signaled three different landing plans for the stricken plane minutes before it crashed in December, killing 179 people, according to a partial transcript of their conversations with air traffic controllers obtained by The New York Times.
The transcript shows the pilots reported a bird strike and radioed a distress call as they approached Muan International Airport in South Korea on the morning of Dec. 29. They said they would turn left, then asked to turn right, intending to approach the airport's single runway from the south. When that failed, air traffic controllers asked if they wanted to land from the opposite direction, and the pilots said yes.
The plane landed on its belly, skidded off the runway and smashed into a concrete structure housing navigation aids, turning into a deadly fireball. Only two people survived – the flight attendants at the very back of the plane, a Boeing 737-800.
The cause of the crash, South Korea's deadliest air disaster, is still under investigation, and the communications between the pilots and the control tower may be a crucial piece of the puzzle. That's because it covers a period of about four minutes during which both of the plane's flight recorders, known as black boxes, stopped recording.
The transcript gives no information about the condition of the plane's two engines or its electrical supply, areas of intense scrutiny by investigators. It is still unclear why the black boxes went dark or why the plane's landing gear was not deployed.
The transcript was read to relatives of the victims on Saturday by a representative of the board set up to investigate the crash. The official told them that parts of the conversation had been edited out of the transcript to protect the privacy of those involved, according to people who shared it with The Times. Officials have not released the transcript publicly, and the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
