By Hyunjoo Jin and Jihoon Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean police said on Thursday they had raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of their investigation into Sunday’s crash that killed 179 people in the country’s worst aviation accident on soil.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which had taken off from the Thai capital of Bangkok to Muan in southwestern South Korea, landed on its belly and overran the regional airport’s runway, bursting into flames after hitting an embankment.
Two crew members, who were seated in the rear of the Boeing (NYSE: ) 737-800, were pulled out alive but injured by rescuers.
Police investigators are searching the offices of the airport operator and the transport ministry’s aviation service in the southwestern city of Muan, as well as Jeju Air’s office in Seoul, South Jeolla provincial police said in a media statement.
Investigators plan to seize documents and materials related to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft, as well as the operation of airport facilities, a police official told Reuters.
A Jeju Air spokesman said the airline was checking the situation. The airport operator was not immediately available for comment.
Questions from aviation safety experts about what led to the deadly explosion have focused on an embankment designed to support navigation equipment that they said was too stiff and too close to the end of the runway.
“This rigid structure proved disastrous when the skidding aircraft hit,” said Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, adding that it was troubling that the navigation antenna was mounted on “such a huge concrete structure rather than a standard metal tower installation/ pylon”.
There is also an ongoing investigation into the Jeju Air flight involving South Korean officials and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
It remains unanswered why the plane did not open the landing gear and what prompted the pilot to rush into a second landing attempt after he told air traffic control that the plane had suffered a bird strike and declared an alert.
The plane’s flight data recorder, which suffered some damage, is being flown to the United States for analysis in cooperation with the NTSB.
The conversion of data from the cockpit voice recorder into an audio file should be completed by Friday, Acting President Choi Sang-mok said, which could provide critical information about the doomed flight’s final minutes.
A transport ministry official said on Wednesday that it may be difficult to release the audio files because they will be critical to the ongoing investigation.
Choi told a meeting on disaster management that immediate action must be taken if a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in use in the country finds problems.
“Since there is great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant organizations must conduct a thorough inspection of operational maintenance, education and training,” Choi said.
Choi’s comments at the start of the meeting were relayed by his office.
Investigators from the NTSB, FAA and Boeing are in South Korea to assist in the investigation.
Choi asked that no effort be spared to help the families of the victims as the remains of those killed are handed over to them. He also asked the police to take action against anyone posting “malicious” messages and fake news related to the disaster on social media.
