Researchers from South Korea, the United States and representatives of Boeing They are working on the ground to clarify the causes of the flight accident 7C2216 of Jeju Waterwhich left a balance of 179 muertos and two survivors last Sunday, according to the Ministry of Transport South Korean.
“South Korean and American investigators discussed the timeline, procedures and specific areas of focus for the investigation,” said the head of aviation policy at the Ministry of Transportation, Joo Jong Wan, in a press conference reported by the news agency. state Yonhap.
Operations at Muan airport will remain suspended at least until January 7, while on-site investigations are carried out.
Sector sources cited by Yonhap have reported that the crashed plane had operated a total of 13 flights in the 48 hours before the accidentincluding three South Korean airports and international destinations such as Beijing, Bangkok, Nagasaki and Taipei.
This figure is particularly high, according to Yonhapwhich has raised doubts about possible excessive use in a short period of time, despite the fact that the low-cost company has denied that a failure in the maintenance of its fleet was behind the accident.
“It is difficult to say that this aircraft was overused, since regular maintenance is carried out strictly according to the scheduled schedule and all checks before and after each departure are carried out scrupulously”said one of the airline officials Song Kyung Hoon on Monday, in statements collected by the aforementioned agency.
The incident, which occurred in Muan International Airport290 kilometers southwest of Seoul, is the worst civil aviation accident in South Korea and the most serious recorded globally in 2024.
The research team is made up of a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from the United States, three experts from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) American, four specialists from Boeing and eleven officials of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board from South Korea.
This group collaborates to analyze the causes of the incident on the ground, including a possible impact with birds. Minutes before the accident, the Muan airport control tower issued an alert for avian riskand the pilot activated a distress call, which could indicate that this was one of the contributing causes of the disaster.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800landed without deploying the landing gear, which caused it to leave the runway and collide with a wall, causing it to explode. The researchers will also focus on reviewing the black boxes recovered, including the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR).
However, the FDR was partially damaged, which could require it to be sent to specialized laboratories of the NTSB in the United States for analysis. This procedure could delay the investigation for several months.
In accordance with the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)South Korea is leading the investigation, but the countries involved, such as the United States, which is the manufacturer of the aircraft, have the right to participate in the process. Although Thailand, whose passage included two deceased citizens, has the possibility of joining the investigations, it has decided not to participate on this occasion.
The accident, which occurred during a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan, has generated deep concern in the aviation sector. In addition to investigating technical or external failures, such as bird strikes, the team will evaluate the airline’s operating procedures Jeju Water and safety regulations related to the model Boeing 737-800.
A preliminary report is expected in the coming weeks, although final results could take up to a year. The conclusions will be key to identifying the causes of the accident and proposing improvements in safety standards that help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
(With information from EFE and Europa Press)
