The scene of Sunday’s crash of a passenger plane belonging to South Korean low-cost carrier Jeju Air is being thoroughly investigated by U.S. law enforcement authorities, as well as officials from the plane’s manufacturer.
All but two of the 181 people on board the Boeing 737-800 died, making it South Korea’s deadliest plane crash in decades. Investigators hope evidence collected from the scene will help determine why the pilot attempted to land after declaring an emergency.
According to the BBC, the airline said there were “no issues” during pre-flight inspections.
Flight data such as speed, altitude, fuel level and audio recordings from the cockpit will be examined from the plane’s two separately located flight recording devices, most commonly called black boxes, the Guardian reported.
Video captures South Korean plane’s final moments before it crashes into concrete fence and explodes
South Korean soldiers appeared at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Tuesday after a plane crashed on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Aviation safety experts on Tuesday questioned the placement of the airport’s embankment, where the airliner crashed after skidding off the edge of the runway, as video showed.
Reuters reported that comments in the airport’s operations manual, uploaded in early 2024, said the embankment was too close to the edge of the runway and recommended reconsidering the location of equipment when planning an expansion.
Plane veers off airport runway in South Korea and crashes, killing 179 people: Report
A memorial can be seen outside Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S.-Korea Joint Investigation Team were at the scene of Sunday’s plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Tuesday. (Son Hyun Joo/Yonhap News AP)
The South Korean government has begun safety inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft in the country. The Department of Transportation said officials were examining maintenance and operational records during a five-day safety inspection that runs through Friday.
The department said a delegation of eight U.S. investigators – one from the Federal Aviation Administration, three from the National Transportation Safety Board and four from Boeing – visited the crash site on Tuesday. Test results were not immediately available.
South Korean soldiers are on duty outside Muan International Airport on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
The investigation into the cause of the crash is expected to take several months, but Muan Fire Chief Lee Jong-hyun previously said officials were investigating various possibilities, including whether the plane was hit by a bird.
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“A bird hitting the engine might shut it down, but there are a lot of redundant systems in there, so it makes no sense at all. We’re not in the dark, but if the runway is 9,200 feet I know it’s a very long one.” It (the plane) came really hot and high and hot and fast. I don’t know why that’s a real issue,” aviation consultant Mike Boyd told Fox News on Sunday.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
