South Korean authorities are to carry out an “all-out investigation” into the fatal crash involving a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, as they release the preliminary report into the 29 December accident.
The report into flight 7C2216, released on 27 January, has been submitted to ICAO, as well as to investigation agencies in the USA, France and Thailand.
It covers much of what investigators had briefed to the families of crash victims two days earlier, including evidence of a bird-strike.
The aircraft (HL8088) was operating from Bangkok to Muan when it overran the runway after an emergency landing. It crashed into an embankment containing a localiser antenna mount, with the impact destroying the jet and leaving just two survivors from the 181 occupants.
Officials from South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) in their report state that a “fire and partial explosion” occurred as the aircraft crashed into the embankment.
Detailing the impact of the crash, it adds: “Both engines were buried in the embankment’s soil mound, and the fore fuselage scattered up to 30-200m from the embankment. The empennage flipped and fell beyond the embankment, partly burning.”
ARAIB investigators state that both flight recorders “simultaneously stopped” working minutes before the crash. The aircraft was about 1.1nm away from the end of runway 01 when this happened.
The flight crew of the 737 comprised a captain and first officer, who had flown 186h and 164h respectively, in the 90 days before the crash. The captain, who is presumed to be the pilot in-command for the flight, had clocked over 6,000h flying the 737, while his colleague had flown more than 1,300h.
During the 25 January briefing, officials said they had identified feathers and other debris in the aircraft engine as belonging to the Baikal teal, a species of east Asian duck which typically weighs 400g.
Investigators will focus their investigations on the 737’s two CFM International CFM56 engines – with disassembly and “in-depth component analysis” expected to take place – as well as on Muan airport’s embankment structure and localiser.
“These all-out investigation activities aim to determine the accurate cause of the accident. In addition, issues deemed necessary for safety, or any other improvements will be reviewed and are expected to lead to urgent safety recommendations,” the ARAIB states.
The crash is the worst aviation accident in the country’s soil and has led to increased scrutiny on the South Korean low-cost carrier sector, as well as airport infrastructure.
