South Korea announced on Tuesday that it would review regulations regarding a concrete wall at Muan International Airport, hit by a Jeju Air plane on Sunday in a crash that killed 179 passengers.
On Sunday morning, a Boeing 737-800 from the South Korean low-cost airline Jeju Air, coming from Bangkok, landed on its belly before crashing at high speed into a wall at the end of the runway. Under the force of the impact, the device bent in two and caught fire.
A total of 181 people, including six crew members, were on board. All died, except for a hostess and a steward.
The first remains of victims of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash, the worst crash in history on Korean soil, were returned to families on Tuesday, while investigators are still trying to determine the causes.
Authorities began studying the two black boxes removed from the plane, according to Vice Minister of Aviation Joo Jong-wan, as a team of American investigators, including representatives from Boeing, arrived at the scene of the tragedy, in Muan (southwest).
The new interim president, Choi Sang-mok, who just took office on Friday, said the accident was a “turning point” for the country, calling for a complete review of aviation safety systems.
He urged relevant authorities to “thoroughly review the entire aircraft operating system… and immediately make any necessary improvements.”
Avian collision, malfunction, wall?
The possibility of a bird collision, haunting pilots, was mentioned to explain the accident. The Muan airport control tower had sent a warning to this effect to the plane's crew three minutes before the crash. The pilot had sent him a warning message (“mayday”) before the emergency landing.
Jet engines can lose power or even stop completely after sucking in a bird.
Critics, however, focus on the architecture of the airport and in particular on the presence at the end of the runway of the wall that the plane hit.
The government will “examine the relevant regulations and their application”, airport regulatory official Kim Hong-rak said on Tuesday when asked about the legality of the concrete wall.
“The accident investigation committee intends to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether this structure aggravated the damage,” said Vice Minister of Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan.
“At this stage, it is important not to focus on a particular factor as being the definitive cause of the accident,” he warned, however, specifying that the investigators were examining “all possible scenarios to carry out a thorough investigation”.
“Normally, there is no such solid obstacle at the end of the runway,” Kim Kwang-il, professor of aeronautical sciences at Silla University and former pilot, told AFP.
The damaged Jeju Air plane must have landed on its belly, raising the question of a potential malfunction of its landing gear. “This is part of the investigation into the accident and we are not in a position to know at this time,” Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae said at a press conference.
Seven days of national mourning
The country has declared seven days of national mourning, from Monday to Sunday inclusive.
At the crash site, investigators are still busy near the cabin while soldiers tiptoe around the airport, between offerings and letters left for the victims.
“Captain, purser, crew members, thank you very much for doing your best to save the passengers. I pray for your eternal rest,” one of the messages said.
A family lost nine members in this disaster, according to local channel KBC.
The oldest flight attendant, aged 78, was traveling with his wife, two daughters, one of his sons-in-law and four grandchildren, for his first time abroad to celebrate his birthday, reports KBC.
Only the husband of one of the old man's daughters remained, who could not join them.
Places of commemoration have been erected across the country, including in Seoul. At Muan airport, families gathered on Tuesday for the construction of a new altar, surrounded by white and black flowers.
