South Korea to inspect Boeing B737-800 aircraft after the accident

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South Korea plans to ground all Boeing B737-800 planes operated by domestic airlines after the passenger jet crashed on arrival on Sunday, killing just two of the 181 people on board. one of the country’s worst air disasters.

Former President Choi Sang-mok has ordered emergency safety reviews of the country’s aviation operations as investigators look into why the twin-engine Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air failed to deploy its landing gear, skidding off the runway before hitting a wall. burst into flames Muan International Airport in the south of the country.

On Monday morning, another B737-800 operated by the same airline returned to Gimpo airport due to a warning message about its landing gear, Jeju Air told the reporter. The landing gear was later found to be working properly, the airline said. Parts of The waters of Jeju they hit their lowest levels on Monday, down 16 percent.

“We want to start a special safety review of Boeing’s B737-800 aircraft in operation,” a transport ministry official told a television interview on Monday, noting that more than 100 B737-800 aircraft were they work. South Koreaespecially on budget airlines.

“We will check their operating divisions and if the planes follow safety rules including routine maintenance before and after the flight.”

The 737-800 is the “next generation” model of Boeing’s 737 single-aisle airliner, which has been a staple of short-haul travel since it was first introduced in the 1990s. It is being replaced by the more modern and fuel efficient 737 Max.

While the cause of the accident is still being investigated, the incident is another setback for the US aviation group, which has had a difficult year due to problems with its production and safety protocols, after the door plug was phase out the 737 Max in January. , after the 2018 and 2019 accidents.

The ministry said that the flight data and voice recordings of the flight have been recovered from the external damage and it is checking whether they are still available for a full analysis.

But it added that the pilot told air traffic control that the plane had been attacked by birds and called a Mayday shortly before landing.

South Korea is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident, but the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States will send an investigation team to the country to provide assistance, and Boeing and the Federation Aviation Administration are also participating in the investigation.

Most of the victims were South Koreans returning from a holiday in Thailand.