South Korea’s SEOUL Authorities are still investigating what caused the deadliest flight catastrophe on South Korean territory, and a preliminary assessment released Monday stated that both engines of the Jeju flight aircraft that crashed last month contained duck remains.
A month after the incident, South Korean officials published a six-page report claiming that DNA from Baikal teals, a migratory duck species that migrates in large flocks to South Korea for the winter, was found in both engines of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
However, the investigation did not draw any preliminary findings regarding the reasons why flight data recorders ceased recording in the last four minutes of the flight or what would have caused the jet to land without its landing gear deployed.
All but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board were killed when the Jeju Air jet from Bangkok on December 29 overshot the runway at Muan airport during an emergency belly landing and collided into an embankment that held navigational aids known as localizers.
Following the collision with the embankment, there was a partial explosion and fire. According to the report, which included some fresh images of the accident scene, both engines were buried in the soil mound of the embankment, and the forward fuselage was dispersed up to 30 to 200 meters from the embankment.
According to experts, the structure at Muan airport that supports the system’s antennae and is made of reinforced concrete and soil probably contributed to the high death toll. The localizer helps guide an aircraft as it approaches the runway.
According to the newspaper, the investigation’s next steps will include disassembling the engines, closely examining various parts, analyzing air traffic control and in-flight data, and looking into the embankment, localizers, and any signs of bird strikes.
It stated that the goal of these intensive investigation efforts is to ascertain the precise reason of the mishap.
The pilots’ awareness of a flock of birds on the plane’s final approach was one of the many preliminary findings by the South Korean investigators that were presented to the victims’ relatives on Saturday, according to the story.
According to the accident report, the aircraft declared an emergency (Mayday x 3) for a bird strike during a go-around, but it is unclear exactly when the pilots reported the strike.
What might have caused the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) to stop recording simultaneously right before the pilots declared an emergency is not mentioned in the study.
When the flight recorders ceased recording, the plane was 498 feet above the ground, traveling at 161 knots (185 mph), and it was around 1.1 nautical miles (1.3 miles) from the runway, according to the report.
A preliminary report must be produced by accident investigators within 30 days of the incident, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a U.N. agency, promotes the public release of the final report within 12 months.
According to an official on Monday, the United States, France, Thailand, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have all received the findings from South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board. These countries are the home countries of the makers of the aircraft and engines.