MuAn, South Korea – The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has officially confirmed that a bird strike was the primary cause of the recent Jeju Air plane crash in MuAn.
Lee Seung-yeol, the head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board, announced during a briefing on Thursday that the investigation team had found clear evidence of a bird strike. "We have confirmed that there was a bird strike in one engine," Lee said, adding that they are still investigating whether both engines were affected.
The investigation team discovered feathers in the engine, indicating a bird collision. "We plan to examine the inside of the engine to determine the type of bird and how it entered the engine," Lee explained. However, he emphasized that a severe bird strike does not necessarily cause an engine to fail immediately.
The recovered feathers will be analyzed by both domestic experts and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
Meanwhile, the ministry defended the installation and modification of the localizer, a navigational aid, which has been blamed for exacerbating the accident. Despite concerns about the localizer's compliance with regulations, the ministry maintained that there were no legal issues.
The ministry argued that the terminal safety area, which should be designed to break easily, extends to the front of the localizer. Therefore, the concrete embankment supporting the localizer is also within the regulations.
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