Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Written by Hyunjoo Jin and Jihoon Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean police said on Thursday they had raided Jeju Air and airline operator Muan International as part of their investigation into Sunday’s crash that killed 179 people in the country’s worst-ever disaster. aircraft on national soil.
Jeju Air 7C2216, which flew from the Thai capital of Bangkok to Muan in southwestern South Korea, went belly-up and covered the local runway, bursting into flames after impact rock
Two crew members, who were seated at the tail end of the Boeing (NYSE: ) 737-800, were pulled out by rescuers alive but uninjured.
Police investigators are searching the offices of the airport operator and air traffic control department in the southwestern city of Muan, as well as Jeju Air’s Seoul office, South Jeolla provincial police said in a news release.
Investigators plan to seize documents and equipment related to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft as well as the operation of the airport facilities, a police official told Reuters.
A spokesman for Jeju Air said the airline was investigating the situation. The airport company was not immediately available for comment.
Air safety experts’ questions about what led to the deadly explosion have focused on a wall designed to support navigation equipment that they say is too rigid and too close to the end of the runway.
“This rigid structure proved to be dangerous when the glider had an impact,” said Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, adding that the navigation antenna was mounted on ‘a “such a large concrete structure, not the usual way. to install a steel tower / pylon”.
An investigation into the Jeju Air flight is underway involving officials from South Korea and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing.
It remains unanswered why the plane did not deploy its landing gear and what prompted the pilot to rush the second landing attempt after he told air traffic control that the plane was attacked by a bird and declared an emergency.
The plane’s data recorder, which sustained some damage, is being sent to the United States for examination in cooperation with the NTSB.
The conversion of data from the cockpit voice recorder to an audio file should be completed by Friday, Acting President Choi Sang-mok said, which could provide important information on the last minutes of the downed plane.
A transport ministry official said on Wednesday it would be difficult to release the audio files to the public as they would be important to the ongoing investigation.
Choi said at the crisis management meeting that it must be taken immediately if a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating in the country finds any problems.
“Since there is great public concern about the same model of aircraft involved in the accident, the transportation department and the relevant organizations must conduct a thorough review of operational maintenance, education and training,” Choi said. .
Choi’s comments at the start of the meeting were released by his office.
NTSB, FAA and Boeing investigators are in South Korea to assist in the investigation.
Choi requested that no effort be made to help the families of the victims as the remains of those killed are handed over to them. He also called on the police to take action against anyone posting “vicious” messages and fake news on social media related to the crisis.
