On Dec. 29, all passengers aboard a flight on South Korean carrier Jeju Air were killed when a plane skidded down a runway at Muan International Airport (MWX) and burst into flames. The airport is in the country's southernmost region.
The crash, which killed 179 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 (BA) , was the worst airline disaster South Korea has seen since 227 people were killed when a Korean Airlines plane crashed in the Guam jungle in 1997. A male and female cabin crew member were the only two survivors rescued from the flight — the male flight attendant is currently in intensive care while the female crew member is recovering in hospital; she is communicative.
Families demand answers, criticize lack of transparency around plane crash
With aviation experts casting doubt on early theories that the crash was caused by a bird strike, South Korea's acting President, Choi Sang-mok, has ordered an emergency safety inspection of its entire airline operation system. The National Assembly impeached elected president Han Duck-soo, and he is now facing criminal charges after declaring martial law on Dec. 3 in an attempt to quell political opposition.
"We will transparently disclose the progress of the investigation into the accident, even before the final results are released, and keep the bereaved families informed," Choi said in a press release announcing the investigation.
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At the moment, families of the 179 people killed aboard the plane are camping out in front of the now-closed Muan International Airport in protest of what they claim is the government's lack of transparency around the investigation.
The director of the aviation policy division at South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Joo Jong-wan, said, " The pilot declared Mayday after issuing the bird strike alert," but aviation experts claim a bird strike is unlikely.
"I've never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended," Australian airline accident investigator Geoffrey Dell told The Independent. Safety Operating Systems CEO John Cox suggested a possible hydraulic failure.
Black boxes shed early light on investigation, victims' families camp out in protest
By Dec. 30, the two black boxes aboard the plane had been recovered to assist with the investigation. The voice recorder captured the pilot declaring "mayday" several times before attempting a go-around (an aviation term for abandoning a planned landing and instead bringing the plane up to try to land it elsewhere).
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Video footage shows that the landing gear retracted, and the plane made a belly landing as it skidded along the runway, caught fire, and crashed against a wall.
The South Korean government declared seven days of mourning for the victims and has been helping with accommodations for families but, as first reported by the BBC, authorities have been telling loved ones they cannot see the bodies of the victims because they are "severely damaged."
The investigation will include a full audit of the 101 Boeing 737-800 (BA) planes currently used in South Korea and a team of investigators from Boeing and different international regulators. This includes representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
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