Seoul, South Korea (AP) — A team of U.S. investigators, including representatives from Boeing, arrived in South Korea on Tuesday to examine the wreckage of a deadly plane crash that killed 179 people. The crash, which took place on Sunday at Muan International Airport, involved a Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air. The crash has prompted the South Korean government to launch safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating in the country.
The aircraft, carrying 181 passengers and crew, crash-landed after it reportedly lost its landing gear during its final approach. Video footage from the scene showed the plane touching down on its belly at high speed, skidding off the runway, and colliding with a concrete fence before bursting into flames. Only two passengers survived the crash.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft experienced engine trouble, and the pilots received a bird strike warning from air traffic control. However, many experts believe the failure to deploy the landing gear was likely the primary cause of the tragedy. According to investigators, the plane had issued a distress signal before the crash.
In response to the disaster, the South Korean Transport Ministry has initiated a five-day safety inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800s currently in service within the country. Authorities are reviewing the maintenance and operational records of these planes as part of the investigation, which is expected to conclude by Friday.
The investigation into the crash has intensified following the recovery of two black boxes from the wreckage. On Wednesday, the Transport Ministry confirmed that they had successfully extracted data from the cockpit voice recorder, which is being converted into audio files for further analysis. However, the flight data recorder was severely damaged and will be sent to the United States for additional examination.
As the investigation continues, grieving relatives of the victims gathered at the crash site on New Year’s Day to mourn their loved ones. The investigation is focused on determining the exact cause of the crash, as officials work with international teams to piece together the events that led to one of the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korea’s history.
