Inspections on 101 Boeing jets operated by the country’s airlines were extended until January 10 after the deadly plane crash.
Inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800s operated by South Korean airlines have been extended for another week, the transport ministry said, as authorities began removing the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane following the country’s worst aviation disaster. place.
Inspections of the Boeing planes were supposed to end Friday, but were extended until Jan. 10 for additional checks, such as whether the airlines spent enough time performing maintenance and securing parts for repairs, an official told reporters Friday. the ministry.
A total of 179 people were killed on Sunday after Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand to South Korea skidded and crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport southwest of the capital, Seoul. Only two people survived the incident.
The exact cause of the crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and an installation at the end of the runway that the plane hit as possible problems.
The transport ministry said it would review the engines, maintenance records and landing gear on all 737-800s, adding that an airline’s operations could be suspended if serious violations were found.
The aircraft’s engines are produced under General Electric’s joint venture with French aerospace company Safran. GE is also joining the inspections.
The Jeju Air crash adds to the headaches facing Boeing as the company struggles to restore trust with customers after two fatal 737 MAX crashes, a mid-air panel explosion and a seven-week strike.
The transport ministry also held an emergency meeting with chief executives of 11 airlines, including Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines, to discuss measures to increase aviation security.
South Korea’s investigative team said on Friday two of its members would leave for the United States next week to analyze the crash’s flight data recorder in cooperation with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). .
The team is also studying the wreckage and interviewing airport control tower officials.
On Friday, investigators began lifting the wreckage of the ill-fated plane, including what appeared to be an engine, using a large yellow crane.
Na Won-ho, head of investigations at South Jeolla Provincial Police, said at a press conference at Muan International Airport that authorities expect more human remains to be found from the part of the plane being recovered.
“For all this to be complete and to have the results, we have to wait until tomorrow.”
Investigators will also analyze data on 107 cellphones recovered from the crash site, including text messages, for clues about what happened leading up to the crash, Yonhap News said.
Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok on Friday urged investigators to work quickly to gather evidence from the crash scene and analyze a voice recorder.
Unanswered questions include why the plane didn’t deploy its landing gear and what prompted the pilot to apparently rush into a second landing attempt after telling air traffic control the plane had suffered a bird strike and declaring an emergency.
