A devastating plane crash in South Korea has led to the discovery that the last four minutes of data were missing from the black boxes. The incident, which occurred last month, resulted in the deaths of 179 people, with only two crew members surviving. The aircraft involved was a  Air Boeing 737-800 model which was returning to South Korea from Bangkok.

South Korea’s Ministry of Transport revealed that the black box data was analyzed after the crash, but no data was found for the final four minutes of the flight. Black boxes typically record flight data and cockpit conversations, which are crucial for crash investigations.

The ministry further stated that investigators are still working to understand why the data was not recorded and what caused the electrical systems to fail. This is currently under analysis.

On December 29, the plane attempted an emergency landing at South Korea’s International Airport but skidded off the runway crashing into a wall and immediately catching fire. This has been marked as one of the deadliest aviation accidents in South Korea’s history.

Former South Korean aviation investigator Sim Jai-Dong commented to Reuters that the absence of critical data in the final moments was highly unusual. He noted that it suggests the aircraft’s electrical systems were completely shut down, including backup power systems.

Investigators are also exploring whether external factors such as weather conditions or bird strikes, could have played a role in the crash.

This tragedy remains shrouded in mystery as many questions remain unanswered due to the missing black box data and the complex nature of the incident.