SEOUL (Reuters) – Questions mounted on Tuesday about the crash of a Jeju Air plane as police scrambled to identify the victims and as families of those killed in the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil pressed authorities for more information.
The National Police Agency said it is making comprehensive efforts by adding personnel and rapid DNA analysis equipment to shorten the identification period. Five bodies remained unidentified as of Tuesday.
Family members gathered at the country's Muan International Airport, where the accident occurred, demanding faster identification and more information from authorities.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew members were killed when the Jeju Air Boeing (NYSE:) 737-800 made a belly landing and skidded off the end of the runway, exploding in a fireball when it struck a wall. Two crew members were recovered alive.
Acting South Korean President Choe Sang-mok on Monday ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country's entire aviation operations, as investigators seek to determine the cause of the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
Representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration and planemaker Boeing have joined the investigation and plan to meet in Moan on Tuesday to discuss the future timeline, the Transportation Department said.
The US team led by the NTSB is on the ground in South Korea to provide assistance, Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said in an interview. The NTSB said in a statement that it had sent three investigators, including people who specialize in operational factors and airworthiness, to South Korea to assist in the investigation.
“If we need more specialists, we will send them,” Homendy said.
Fire and transportation officials said investigators are examining bird strikes, whether any of the plane's control systems malfunctioned, and the pilots' apparent rush to attempt a landing shortly after the emergency was declared as possible factors in the crash.
Officials also faced pointed questions about design features at the airport, particularly the large embankment of dirt and concrete near the end of the runway used to support navigation equipment.
The plane hit the dam at high speed and turned into a fireball. Bodies and body parts were thrown into the surrounding fields and most of the planes were destroyed by fire.
South Korean officials say the dam was built to standards, and that similar features exist at other airports including the United States and Europe.
But several experts said its proximity to the end of the runway defied best practices and likely made the accident far more deadly than it would have been.
John Cox, chief operating safety officer and a former 737 pilot, said the runway design “fails at all” with industry best practices, which prohibit any solid structure such as a berm at least 300 meters (330 yards) from the end of the runway. .
The airport's concrete berm appears to be less than half that distance from the end of the pier, according to a Reuters analysis of satellite images.
It is located about 250 meters from the end of the runway itself, although there is a paved apron extending beyond, South Korean officials said.
Cox said that the plane appeared in video footage slowing down and controlling the runway when it left the runway. “When that sandbar hits, it turns into a tragedy.”
