South Korea extends Boeing 737-800 inspections as Jeju Air wreckage lifted
The inspections of the Boeing jets were supposed to be completed on Friday but were extended to January 10 for additional checks, such as whether airlines spent enough time carrying out maintenance and secured parts for repairs, a ministry official told reporters on Friday.
A total of 179 people were killed on Sunday after Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand to South Korea skidded and crashed while trying 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 struck as possible issues.
The transport ministry said it would look at engines, maintenance records and landing gear on all 737-800s, adding that an airline's operations could be suspended if serious violations are found.
The plane's engines are produced under General Electric's joint venture with the French aerospace company, Safran. GE is also joining the inspections.
The Jeju Air crash adds to headaches faced by Boeing as the company battles to restore trust with customers following two fatal 737 MAX crashes, a mid-air panel blowout, and a seven-week strike.
The transport ministry also held an emergency meeting with the chief executives of 11 airlines, including Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines, to discuss measures to enhance aviation safety.
South Korea's investigation team said on Friday two of its members would leave for the United States next week to analyse the flight data recorder of the crash in cooperation with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The team is also studying the plane 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, South Jeolla provincial police's head of investigations, told a news conference at Muan International Airport, that authorities expect that more human remains may be found from the section of the plane being recovered.
'For all that to be complete and to have the results, we must wait until tomorrow.'
Investigators will also analyse data on 107 mobile phones recovered from the crash site, including text messages, for clues on what happened leading up to the crash, Yonhap News said.
South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday urged investigators to work swiftly to collect evidence from the crash scene and analyse a voice recorder.
Unanswered questions include why the aircraft did not deploy its landing gear and what led the pilot to apparently rush into a second attempt at landing after telling air traffic control the plane had suffered a bird strike and declaring an emergency.
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