A police forensic team on Tuesday conducted on-site investigation at the scene of Sunday’s Jeju Air passenger plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea. Photo Provided by Yonhap South Korea Out/EPA-EFE
A pre-flight check of the deadly plane crash in South Korea showed “no issues” prior as U.S. investigators arrived to aid the investigation, according to multiple reports.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board along with officials from Boeing and other U.S. federal agencies joined the overseas investigation in combing through wreckage after Sunday’s crash of a Boeing 737-800 flight operated by Jeju Air that killed 179 of 181 on board at Muan International Airport. Advertisement
“Additional NTSB investigative staff are standing by to assist if needed, including specialists in recorders, powerplants, and survival factors, among other specialties,” the NTSB said Monday in a statement.
The Muan runway will stay closed until Jan. 7 while further evidence is collected, according to officials.
As of Tuesday, five bodies were still unidentified and the remains of four others were being transported for funeral services to their respective families.
Other similar Boeing aircraft are being inspected. The ongoing investigation will include a review of the engine’s maintenance history, landing gears, aircraft operation records and a look at why its wheels were not down as it executed an emergency landing.
“Nothing abnormal was noted with the landing gear,” Jeju airline CEO Kim Yi-bae said Tuesday at a news conference in Seoul, BBC reported. Advertisement
The incident was the worst aviation disaster ever on Korean soil and the deadliest for a South Korean airline since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam that killed 228.
The aricraft is believed to have experienced a landing gear malfunction, possibly caused by a bird strike, as it approached Muan International on its flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
“We have a strict maintenance checklist,” Yi-bae added. “It is not possible to miss things. If something was missed it would be a grave problem,” he said.
South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered an emergency inspection of the country’s aviation system a day later.
The Jeju flight hit the tarmac at high speed before 9 a.m. local time then skidded on its underbelly along the runway before slamming into an embankment and exploding into flames.
This week’s crash had 175 passengers with six crew members. The only two survivors were a man and a 25-year-old woman flight attendants.
The passengers who perished on flight 7C2216 were aged between three to 78 years old with most aged between their 40s to 60s, according to Yonhap news agency.
The Korean Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport says the two survivors on Monday were recovering at separate hospitals in Seoul with non-life-threatening injuries but with little recollection of the crash itself after they heard a blast. Advertisement
Meanwhile, three NTSB members are leading the U.S. team which include other officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and jet-engine manufacturer CFM International.
NTSB officials added that some advisers will be on site at Muan International with others in the United States.
South Korean society has been beset by recent political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a short-lived martial law earlier this month and was later impeached on Dec. 14.
