Ten years after Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared, when people ask me what happened, my answer remains: “I don’t know, and it’s a sign of strength to admit you don’t know.” Assumptions and speculation create unrealistic expectations and needless anguish. A single, accurate data point can dismantle the most elaborate theories, underscoring the importance of patience and evidence.

So it is with Jeju Air Flight 2216, which tragically crashed in South Korea on Sunday, claiming 179 lives. I do not know what happened inside the aircraft.

The wreckage of the crashed plane at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

Only two flight attendants, seated at the rear of the Boeing 737-800, survived. These seats are the safest in a head-on crash, which is why we can expect the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, located at the back of the aircraft, to be intact and reveal facts about what happened during this crisis.

I was piloting Qantas Flight 32 in 2010 when an engine failed soon after take-off from Singapore. We landed safely with none of the 469 passengers and crew injured. However, the world immediately erupted with misinformation, flawed analysis and false deductions. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau made the courageous decision to publish the facts immediately, quelling conspiracy theories and inaccurate deductions. While the US National Transportation Safety Board initially criticised this approach, it eventually adopted a similar strategy following the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash in San Francisco, which killed three and injured about 200 people. Transparency builds teamwork and trust, and enables constructive learning from tragedy.

I expect the investigators in the Jeju Air tragedy to answer the following questions:

Was there a bird strike?........

© The Age