S. Korea plane crash investigators find feathers in engines: media
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on 29 December carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.
South Korean soldiers search for missing passengers near the wreckage of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on 29 December 2024. Picture: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP
SEOUL - Investigators probing the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people last month have found feathers in both engines, according to South Korean media reports, with a bird strike being examined as one possible cause.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on 29 December carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.
It was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
"Feathers were found in both engines," the government-linked National Institute of Biological Resources told South Korean broadcaster MBN, without specifying who gave them the information.
"We have completed the analysis of a total of 17 samples, including feathers and blood," it said.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport declined to confirm the report when asked by AFP.
South Korean and US investigators are still probing the cause of the crash, which prompted a national outpouring of mourning with memorials set up across the country.
Investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the runway barrier as possible issues.
The pilot warned of a bird strike before pulling out of a first landing attempt. The plane crashed on its second attempt when the landing gear did not emerge.
Lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol told reporters last week that "feathers were found" in one of the plane's recovered engines but cautioned that a bird strike does not lead to an immediate engine failure.
"We need to investigate whether it affected both engines. It is certain that one engine has definitely experienced a bird strike," he said.
The investigation was further clouded on Saturday when the transport ministry said the black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed flight had stopped recording four minutes before the disaster.
Authorities have raided offices at Muan airport, a regional aviation office in the southwestern county, and Jeju Air's office in the capital Seoul as part of the investigation.
The land ministry has extended Muan airport's closure until 19 January.