EPAInvestigators say they have found evidence of a bird strike on a passenger plane that crashed in South Korea in December and killed 179 people.
Feathers and bloodstains on both engines of the Gogo Airplane were from the Baikal teal, a type of migratory duck that flocks in large flocks, according to a preliminary investigation report published Monday.
The investigation into the accident – the deadliest on South Korean soil – will focus on the role of the bird strike and the concrete structure at the end of the runway, into which the plane crashed.
The Boeing 737-800 engines will be demolished and the concrete structure will be examined further, the report said.
The Jeju Air plane took off from Bangkok on the morning of December 29 and was flying to Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country.
At approximately 08:57 local time, three minutes after the pilots made contact with the airport, the control tower advised the crew to be alert for “bird activity.”
At 08:59, the pilot reported that the aircraft had struck a bird and announced a mayday signal.
The pilot then requested permission to land from the opposite direction, from which the landing gear was deploying. The report said it overshot the runway and exploded after rebounding into the concrete structure.
Authorities previously said flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered from the plane Recording stopped About four minutes before the disaster.
Experts who flew the same type of aircraft involved in the accident also questioned the presence of tangible barriers along the runway – with some suggesting that casualty losses would have been lower if they had not been there.
The concrete structure holds the navigation system that helps planes land, known as a local.
The South Korean Ministry of Transport said that this system can also be found at other airports in the country and even abroad.
Last week, authorities announced they would Change the physical barriers used for navigation At seven airports across the country. Seven airports will also get their runway safety areas adapted after the review.
The initial report was submitted to the UN aviation agency and the authorities of the United States, France and Thailand.
