South Korean investigators have discovered traces of bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air
aircraft that crashed in South Korea in December 2024.
Early findings
According to a report by Reuters, which cited sources familiar with the matter, said that investigators from the South Korean Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (항공·철도사고조사위원회, ARAIB) found bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Boeing 737-800
that crashed at Muan International Airport (MWX).
While previous reports pointed to a bird strike that began the sequence of events that eventually resulted in a gear-up landing attempt at the airport, including that traces of feathers and blood were found in one of the engines, the double-engine bird strike could explain why both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) stopped recording four minutes before the 737-800 crashed into a concrete structure at the end of the runway.
Photo: DLeng | Shutterstock
The latter development was confirmed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (국토교통부, MOLIT) of South Korea on January 11, which added that the cause why the two recorders stopped doing so would be investigated.
“While the CFR and FDR are important for accident investigation, accident investigation is conducted through analysis of various data sets, so we plan to do our best to accurately determine the cause of the accident.”
According to an older study by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), “there are significantly more airframe strikes than engine strikes (by a ratio of 4.6 to 1).”
Related
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Safety violations
MOLIT also completed the planned safety inspection of South Korea’s 737-800 fleet, which includes aircraft from domestic airlines, including Korean Air
. Without explicitly pointing out the names of the alleged culprits, the Ministry concluded that some airlines had violated regulations, such as extending the pre and post-flight inspection cycle.
However, MOLIT said that airlines have generally been complying with the operational and maintenance regulations. Still, “strict measures will be taken in accordance with the relevant laws and procedures for violations of the law.”
“The major improvements include reflecting training to stop two or more engines in the training manual and regularizing the training, bird strike response procedures in pre-flight briefings, unifying aircraft operation rate calculation criteria, implementing periodic management plans, etc., and reviewing and improving them.”
Photo: Kent Raney | Shutterstock
The ministry also concluded its safety investigation of navigational facilities across the country’s airports, noting that they have been well-maintained with sufficient safety measures. At the same time, seven airports and nine facilities need improvements, including the one at Muan International.
“MOLIT plans to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection from January 13 to 31 by expanding the inspection target to all models of 11 domestic airlines in order to diagnose the airline safety system more precisely.”
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Investigative party involving Boeing, FAA, and NTSB
The Jeju Air 737-800 aircraft crashed at Muan International while operating flight 7C2216
from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), claiming the lives of 179 people. Two flight attendants, seated at the aft of the single-aisle jet, survived the crash.
Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock
According to a statement by Park Sang-woo, the South Korean Transport minister, officials from 
Boeing
, CFM International, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Board (NTSB), and ARAIB have formed a joint investigation team to determine the potential cause of the accident on December 29, 2024.
Related
179 Dead After Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 Crashes Off Runway In Muan, South Korea
A Jeju Air 737-800 crash at Muan Airport claims hundreds of lives.
