South Korea expands inspection of Boeing 737-800 after fatal crash Reuters

Written by Hyunjoo Jin

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s transport ministry has increased special inspections of all 101 Boeing (NYSE: ) 737-800 planes operated by the country’s airlines for a week, following the worst crash of the aircraft on national soil, said a ministry official. on Friday.

The ministry began a follow-up investigation on Sunday into the crash of a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air that killed 179 people. The investigation was supposed to be completed on Friday but was postponed to Jan. 10, the official told Reuters, without explaining the reason.

A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to Muan province in southwestern South Korea landed on its stomach and engulfed the runway at the local airport, bursting into flames after hitting a rock.

The ministry said it would look at the engines, maintenance records and landing gear on the 737-800s, and flight operations could be suspended for major violations.

The transport ministry has also held an emergency meeting with top executives of 11 airlines, including the top Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines, to discuss measures to improve aviation safety, a ministry official said. .

South Korea’s investigative team said on Friday that two of its members will leave for the United States next week to analyze the plane’s data recorder in cooperation with the US National Security Bureau (NTSB ).

The team also learns about the wreckage of the plane and communicates with the authorities of the airport control tower.

Investigators will analyze data from 107 phone calls found at the crash site, including text messages, for clues about what happened before the crash, Yonhap News said.

Former South Korean President Choi Sang-mok on Friday urged investigators to work quickly to gather evidence at the crash site and analyze the voice recorder.

Unanswered questions include why the plane did not deploy its landing gear and what caused the pilot to rush the second landing attempt after tell air traffic control that the plane was hit by birds and declare an emergency.

Police said on Thursday they were searching Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport and barred Jeju Air chief executive Kim E-bae and another unidentified official from the country. .