South Korean police search the airport, offices of Jeju Air after the fatal accident | Aviation news
The police searches come as aviation authorities investigate the cause of the deadliest air crash on South Korean soil.
Police in South Korea have raided Muan International Airport, the offices of Jeju Air and the regional aviation authority amid an investigation into the deadliest air disaster ever on South Korean soil.
The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency conducted a “search and seizure operation” at three locations on Thursday morning, officials said.
The raids come as aviation authorities, including officials from the United States, investigate the cause of the fatal crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 on Sunday, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board.
South Korean authorities said Wednesday that they have extracted initial data from one of the Boeing 737-800’s two black boxes and will send the other to the United States for analysis due to the damage it sustained in the crash.
South Korean officials have launched an inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in service, as well as a broader investigation into the airline’s entire operations in the country.
Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok said Thursday that immediate action must be taken if inspections reveal any problems with the aircraft model.
“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.
Aviation experts have outlined a number of possible causes and contributing factors to the disaster, including bird strike, mechanical failure and the presence of a hardened embankment less than 300 meters (328 yards) from the end of the runway.
The Boeing 737-800 landed on its belly on the runway, without landing gear deployed, shortly after the pilot reported a bird strike to air traffic control, before skidding into a concrete embankment and bursting into flames.
The crash was the deadliest involving a South Korean airline since a Korean Air Boeing 747 crashed into a Guam hill in 1997, killing 228 people.
