Official announcements from South Korean aviation regulatory bodies

Bird Feathers and Blood in Engines of Crashed Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, Killing 179 in Emergency Landing

Jan 17, 2025, 07:24 AM

Investigators have discovered bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air jet that crashed in South Korea on December 29, resulting in the deaths of 179 people. The Boeing 737-800, which was en route from Bangkok to Muan International Airport, attempted a belly-landing without its landing gear deployed, overshooting the runway and crashing into a wall. About four minutes before the fatal crash, one of the pilots reported a bird strike and declared a 'Mayday' emergency. Two minutes prior to the Mayday call, air traffic control had issued a warning about 'bird activity' in the area. Only two crew members at the rear of the aircraft survived the incident, marking it as the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil. The discovery of bird remains in both engines suggests a possible bird strike as a contributing factor to the crash, although the South Korean transport ministry has not officially confirmed these findings. Additionally, the plane's black boxes stopped recording four minutes before the crash, complicating the ongoing investigation.