Pilot error linked to Jeju Air disaster
The source said the evidence, including the cockpit voice recorder, computer data and a physical engine switch found in the wreckage showed pilots shut off the left engine instead of the right engine when taking emergency steps after a bird strike just before it was scheduled to land.
'The investigation team has clear evidence and backup data, so its finding will not change,' the source said on condition of anonymity because investigators have not released an official report including this evidence.
A government source said examinations of the plane's recovered engines found that no defects had been present before the bird strike and crash.
The Dec 29 crash of the Boeing 737-800 jet at Muan Airport killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board and was the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
Investigators told victims' family members at a briefing that the right engine had been more severely damaged by a bird strike than the left, and there was circumstantial evidence that pilots had turned off the less-damaged left engine, according to a third source.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, and under international rules, a final report is expected within a year of an accident.
A preliminary report released in January said duck remains were found in both engines of the Jeju Air plane after the flight from Bangkok crashed at Muan Airport, but did not give details about the extent of remains or damage found in each engine. — Reuters
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