Seoul: South Korea’s transport ministry revealed Saturday that the black boxes from the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people stopped recording four minutes before the disaster.

The Boeing 737-800, carrying 181 passengers and crew, was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on Dec. 29. It crash-landed at Muan Airport, striking a concrete barrier before erupting into flames.

“The analysis revealed that both the CVR and FDR data were not recorded during the four minutes leading up to the aircraft's collision with the localiser,” the ministry said in a statement. The localizer, a barrier meant to aid landings, was cited as a factor that worsened the crash’s impact.

"Plans are in place to investigate the cause of the data loss during the ongoing accident investigation," the statement added.

South Korean and U.S. authorities are continuing to investigate the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216, which has prompted national mourning and memorials across the country.

Investigators are examining several potential causes, including a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and the role of the runway barrier.

The pilot had reported a bird strike during an initial landing attempt before aborting. The crash occurred on the second attempt when the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy. AFP