South Korea’s SEOUL As part of their investigation into the Sunday crash that claimed 179 lives in the biggest aviation disaster to ever hit the nation, South Korean police announced on Thursday that they had raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport.
After departing Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, for Muan, in southern South Korea, Jeju Air 7C2216 belly-landed and overshot the runway at the regional airport, erupting into flames after colliding with an embankment.
Rescuers took out two crew members who were sitting in the tail end of the Boeing 737-800 alive but with injuries.
Joo Jong-wan, the deputy transport minister for civil aviation, told a media briefing that the data from the cockpit voice recorder had been converted to audio files on Thursday. These files could include vital information about the last few minutes of the aircraft.
According to a statement from the South Jeolla province police, police detectives were searching the offices of Jeju Air in Seoul, the airport operator, and the transportation ministry aviation authority in the southwest county of Muan.
According to a police officer who spoke to Reuters, investigators intended to confiscate records and materials pertaining to the aircraft’s upkeep and operation as well as the management of airport infrastructure.
Song Kyeong-hoon, a director at Jeju Air, told a media briefing that the airline was assisting the authorities.
The embankment, which was built to support the localizer antenna used to direct landings, has been the subject of inquiries from air safety experts regarding what caused the fatal explosion. They claim that the embankment is too rigid and too near the end of the runway.
When the skidding aircraft struck, this inflexible structure proved disastrous, according to Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California. He also said it was alarming that the navigation antenna was installed on such a large concrete structure instead of the more common metal tower/pylon arrangement.
According to Joo, the government is still unable to give precise information about the plans for upgrading Muan Airport, which resulted in the construction of the structure to support the navigation system.
According to Joo, the ministry is inspecting localizer equipment at airports across the nation.
South Korean authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, are also investigating the tragic Jeju Air flight.
The pilot reportedly hurried into a second attempt at landing after informing air traffic control that the plane had been struck by a bird and stating an emergency, but it is still unclear why the aircraft did not deploy its landing gear.
In collaboration with the NTSB, the aircraft’s flight data recorder, which was somewhat damaged, is being transported to the US for examination.
Joo stated on Wednesday that since the audio data from the cockpit voice recorder are essential to the current inquiry, it could be challenging to make them publicly available.
To assist with the investigation, NTSB, FAA, and Boeing investigators are in South Korea.
In a crisis management meeting, Choi Sang-mok, the acting president of South Korea, stated that if a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft used in the nation reveals any problems, then quick action must be taken.
According to Choi, the transport ministry and pertinent organizations need to carry out a comprehensive examination of operation maintenance, education, and training because the same aircraft model involved in the disaster has raised a lot of public anxiety.
His office provided his remarks at the beginning of the meeting.
As the bodies of the deceased are turned over to their relatives, Choi urged that every effort be made to assist them. Additionally, he requested that the police take action against anyone who posts false information and nasty words about the accident on social media.
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