SEOUL, South Korea — The first report on last month’s Jeju Air crash in South Korea confirmed traces of bird strikes in the plane’s engines, though officials haven’t determined the cause of the accident that killed all but two of the 181 people on board.
The preliminary report by South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board stated that feathers and bird blood stains were found in both engines. The samples, identified as belonging to Baikal teals, were sent for DNA analysis.
Investigators found that the plane’s two black boxes—the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—stopped recording about four minutes before the crash, complicating efforts to determine the cause.
The Boeing 737-800 skidded off the runway at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29 after its landing gear failed to deploy, hitting a concrete structure and bursting into flames. The flight was returning from Bangkok, and all victims were South Koreans except for two Thai nationals.
Analysts said the concrete structure, housing antennas that guide landings, should have been made of lighter materials to reduce impact damage. South Korea’s Transport Ministry announced plans to remove the structure.
Investigators earlier reported that air traffic controllers had warned pilots of possible bird strikes two minutes before the aircraft issued a distress signal confirming a strike.
Pilots attempted an emergency landing afterward. The report also stated that pilots noticed a group of birds while approaching the runway, with security cameras capturing the plane flying near birds during an aborted landing.
Authorities plan to disassemble the engines for further examination, analyze black box and air traffic control data, and investigate bird strike evidence to determine the accident’s cause.
The Muan airport will remain closed until April 18, according to the Transport Ministry. / AP