South Korean police said they searched Muan Airport and the Jeju Air Office on Thursday morning over the crash of the airline’s Boeing 737-800, which killed 179 people.
Jeju Air Flight 2216 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it issued a mayday call, made a belly landing, crashed into a fence and burst into flames, and all passengers except two flight attendants were pulled from the burning wreckage. All died.
South Korean and U.S. investigators, including Boeing, have since thoroughly searched the crash site southwest of Muan to determine the cause, and both black boxes have been discovered and decryption efforts are underway. .
“In connection with the aircraft accident that occurred on December 29, search and seizure operations began at 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on January 2 at three locations: Muan Airport, Jeju Airlines Office in Seoul, and a local airline. “The aviation authority, the police, said in a statement sent to AFP.
Police said, “We plan to swiftly and rigorously investigate the cause and responsibility for this accident based on law and principles.”
After the crash, South Korea announced that all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines would be subject to a special inspection focusing on the landing gear that appeared to have failed during Sunday’s crash.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, said on Thursday that “immediate action” must be taken if an investigation reveals any problems with the aircraft model.
Authorities previously said 101 of the aircraft were operated by six different airlines.
Choi said on Thursday, “The public is concerned because the same model was involved in the accident, and the Ministry of Transportation and related organizations must conduct a thorough inspection of operations, maintenance, education, and training.”
“If any issues are found during the inspection, take immediate corrective action,” he added.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Jeju Air has been banned from leaving the country, police said Thursday.
Police in Jeollanam Province announced, “The investigation team has imposed travel bans on two people, including Jeju Air CEO Kim Ae-bae.”
This accident is the worst aviation accident in history on mainland South Korea.
South Korean authorities have completed an initial data extraction of the cockpit voice recorder, but the flight data recorder was damaged and will be sent to the United States for analysis, officials announced Wednesday.
