Joint investigation launched into plane disaster

[Anchor]

A joint investigation team from South Korea and the United States has officially begun its investigation to determine the cause of the passenger plane disaster.

On-site investigations and black box analyses will be conducted.

It is expected to take a considerable amount of time before clear investigation results are available.

Hwang Hyun-kyu reports.

[Report]

The accident investigation team dispatched from the United States visited Muan Airport.

They first examined the localizer hill, which has emerged as a 'point of contention' regarding whether it exacerbated the damage.

The American investigation team spent over 20 minutes on the hill, and after inspecting the debris around the accident site, they left the scene after 35 minutes.

The joint investigation team consists of 19 members, including 8 from the U.S. aviation authorities and Boeing, and 11 investigators from our Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

They plan to investigate the details of the accident one by one, starting with the analysis of air traffic control communication records, which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has stated they have obtained.

By examining the communication between the pilots and air traffic controllers, it is expected that the circumstances surrounding the declaration of a mayday by the pilot will become clearer.

They have also begun extracting data from one of the two black boxes secured at the scene, which is an intact voice recording device.

However, the critical black box, which records the aircraft's altitude, direction, acceleration, and time, was found with its connection part missing.

If data extraction proves difficult, it may need to be sent to the U.S. manufacturer.

The investigation could take longer, as the remaining procedures are more complex.

Investigation committee officials explained to KBS, "In addition to decoding the black box, we need to check all components, from noise conditions to wear," and "We need to analyze the flight records from the departure in Bangkok for over 5 hours down to the second."

The investigation report for the Asiana Airlines accident in 2013 was released after 11 months.

The conclusion of this investigation, which is the largest aviation disaster in South Korean history, could take several months at the earliest, or even years at the longest.

KBS News, Hwang Hyun-kyu.