The flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the South Korean passenger plane that crashed last month stopped recording four minutes before the disaster struck, the South Korean Ministry of Transport said.
The Jeju Air crash killed 179 people, making it the deadliest air accident on Korean soil. Two crew members were the only survivors.
Investigators hoped that data on the recorders would provide insights into the crucial moments leading up to the tragedy.
The ministry said it would analyze the reasons why the “black boxes” stopped recording.
The ministry said the recorders were originally examined in South Korea.
When the data was found to be missing, it was transferred to the United States and analyzed by American safety regulators.
The plane was heading from Bangkok on December 29 when it crashed at Muan International Airport, hit a wall at the end of the runway, and burst into flames.
Sim Jae Dong, a former accident investigator at the Ministry of Transport, told Reuters news agency that the loss of data from the crucial final minutes was surprising and indicated that all power could have been cut off, including backup power.
Many questions remain unanswered. Investigators were looking into whose role Bird strike Or weather conditions may have played a role.
They also focused on why the Boeing 737-800's landing gear did not lower when it hit the runway.
