Airplane crash in South Korea: investigation establishes the root cause of the tragedy

In South Korea, investigators are considering a new possible root cause for the crash of a Boeing 737-800 airplane of Jeju Air, which crashed on December 29, 2024.

Reuters reports, UNN writes.

Details [1

As it was already known, according to the six-page report, DNA of Baikal teal, a species of migratory ducks that come to South Korea to spend the winter in huge flocks, was found in both engines of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft. However, according to experts, airplane crashes are almost always caused by a number of factors.

On the day of the crash, the plane made an emergency landing on its belly at Muan Airport, after which it crashed into an embankment with navigation equipment. 

After hitting the embankment, a fire and partial explosion occurred. Both engines were buried in the mound, and the nose section of the fuselage was scattered at a distance of 30 to 200 meters from the mound

According to experts, the beacon helps the aircraft as it approaches the runway, and the reinforced concrete and earth structure at Moana Airport that supports the system's antennas likely contributed to the high number of casualties.

The report states that the investigation will include disassembly of the engines, a thorough examination of the components, analysis of in-flight and air traffic control data, and examination of the mound, locators, and evidence of the collision with birds.

The purpose of comprehensive investigative measures is to establish the exact cause of the accident

In particular, the report highlights many of the initial findings of South Korean investigators, which they shared with the victims' families. For example, there is information that the pilots were aware of a flock of birds during the last leg of the landing approach.

The exact time when the pilots reported the collision remains unconfirmed, but the aircraft “made an emergency call (Mayday x 3) due to a collision with a bird while entering the second circle.

The preliminary report confirms that collisions with birds that damage both engines are rare, although there are examples in aviation history of crews successfully responding to such situations.

Investigators typically replay the last moments before the crash, carefully synchronizing voice and data recordings to understand how the crew and the plane interacted.

But in the case of this crash, these important clues are not available, with recordings stopping just before the pilots declared an emergency and about four minutes before the collision.

The report says that when the flight data recorders stopped recording, the plane was at an altitude of 498 feet (152 meters) at a speed of 161 knots (298 km/h or 185 mph) at a distance of about 1.1 nautical miles (2 km or 1.3 miles) from the runway.

Since 2010, new aircraft built in the United States have been required to have enough backup power to provide 10 minutes of additional data recording in the event of an onboard power outage following a series of incidents that caused the recorders to stop working.

However, according to FlightRadar24, the change came eight months after the 737-800 plane that crashed in Jeju allegedly left the Boeing plant.

Recall 

In December 2024, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan Airport, killing 179 passengers. The investigation found the remains of Baikal teal in both engines, which the crew had been warned about 2 minutes before the crash.