Latest news with #Boeing 737
Al Arabiya
22-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Evidence shows Jeju Air pilots shut off less-damaged engine before crash, source says
The South Korea-led investigation into Jeju Air's fatal plane crash in December has 'clear evidence' that pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after a bird strike, a source with knowledge of the probe said on Monday. 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 told Reuters 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 December 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 on Saturday 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 who was at the briefing. South Korean media outlets including MBN and Yonhap reported that information on Saturday and Sunday. South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), which is leading the investigation, did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Boeing referred questions about the crash to ARAIB. Engine maker CFM International, a joint venture between GE and France's Safran, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jeju Air said it was actively cooperating with the ARAIB's investigation and awaiting the official announcement of the results. 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. Objections from victims' families South Korea's investigation body on Saturday cancelled a planned release to media of an update on what is known so far about the engines. Families of the crash victims were briefed on the report ahead of its planned release, but objected to its publication, saying that it appeared to apportion blame to the pilots without exploring other contributing factors, lawyers representing the families said. The Jeju Air flight overshot Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing and crashed into an embankment containing navigation equipment, leading to a fire and partial explosion. Representatives of victims' families and the Jeju Air pilots' union said over the weekend that the investigation needs to also focus on the embankment, which aviation experts have said likely contributed to the high death toll. The Jeju Air pilots' union said the ARAIB was 'misleading the public' by suggesting there was no problem with the left engine given traces of bird remains were found in both engines. The union accused the ARAIB of trying to make pilots 'scapegoats' by failing to provide scientific and technological grounds that the plane could have landed safely with only the left engine turned on. Air accidents are complex incidents that occur due to a number of contributing factors, and investigators have not produced evidence so far to support the implication that the accident was a result of pilot error, the union said. Investigators are so far 'silent about organizational responsibility,' the union said. A body representing bereaved families said in a statement there were some phrases related to the cause of the accident in the planned press release that could be interpreted as if a final conclusion had been reached, and all facts surrounding the incident must be clarified.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Pilots ‘switched off wrong engine' in South Korea crash that killed 179
The pilots of the South Korean airliner that crashed and killed 179 people switched off the wrong engine, according to a new report. The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) found that the right engine of the Jeju Air Boeing 737 stopped working after the plane collided with a flock of ducks. Meanwhile, the left engine continued to produce power. However, instead of turning off the damaged engine on the right-hand side, the pilots cut power to the side that was still operational, leaving the plane without any working engines. The investigators said: 'A pilot may have mistakenly turned off the engine.' The cockpit voice recorder captured the pilot saying 'shut down engine number two', but the flight data shows that the pilots instead switched off engine number one, likely in error because of the pressure of the situation. An official told South Korea's MBN television news: 'The pilot should have turned off the right engine, which was severely damaged by the bird strike, but he turned off the left engine, which was spinning, and the black box and power went out.' The pilots on the Jeju Air flight had also activated the left engine's fire extinguisher, which makes it impossible for the engine to be restarted while the aircraft is in flight, the report said. News of the pilots' role in the Jeju Air crash comes less than a week after it was revealed that the fatal Air India crash in June, which killed all but one of the 242 passengers on board, was also caused by the pilot's error after he cut off the fuel supply. The South Korean plane, which crashed on Dec 29 2024, hit the ground at a dangerously high speed without its landing gear lowered and exploded after colliding with an embankment at the end of the runway. All 175 passengers and four of the six crew members were killed in South Korea's worst aviation disaster in decades. The pilots of Flight 2216 had also ignored the correct procedure for how to land after a bird strike by climbing the aircraft back up and then turning it to make a rushed landing in the opposite direction on the same runway. The collision with the birds had occurred as the aircraft was preparing for its descent into Muan International airport, located in the southern part of the country. The airport's air traffic control issued a warning at 8:57am that there was bird activity detected in the area, and a minute later the pilot reported a bird strike and issued a mayday call. Video footage later showed that the right engine had erupted in flames and the investigation found feathers and duck blood in both engines. ARAIB presented its findings on Saturday, but the families of the victims accused officials of unfairly blaming the pilots at the press conference. The investigators had to quickly retrieve copies of the report, claiming that it had not yet been formally issued. Investigators maintain that there were no engine defects or mechanical failures, although power to the aircraft's flight recorders was shut off for the last four minutes of the flight, so there could be key information that remains unknown. Kim Yu-jin, the head of the relatives' group, said: 'When investigators take a position, it should be accompanied by documents that support their position and convince the bereaved family that their conclusions are inevitable. We were only given their conclusions. 'We have repeatedly asked them to be careful about these disclosures because the way that the results of the investigation are communicated can have an impact on the compensation that families receive.''
South China Morning Post
21-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Jeju Air crash: did pilots shut down wrong engine after bird strike?
The South Korea -led investigation into Jeju Air's fatal plane crash in December had 'clear evidence' that the pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after a bird strike, a source with knowledge of the investigation said on Monday. Advertisement The source said the evidence, including the cockpit voice recorder, computer data and a physical engine switch found in the wreckage showed that the pilots had shut off the left engine instead of the right 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 had 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. Forensic experts, police investigators and firefighters work at the site of the deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport on December 29 last year. Photo: YNA/dpa The December 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.
