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Specialists question bird strike as reason for South Korea plane crash

Uncertainty surrounds the deadliest airplane crash on South Korean soil, air travel specialists said on Sunday, questioning how much impact a possible bird strike pointed out by authorities might have had in lowering the Jeju Air flight.

The apparent absence of landing equipment, the timing of the twin-engine Boeing 737-800's tummy landing at Muan International Airport and the reports of a possible bird strike all raised questions that could not yet be responded to.

The single-aisle airplane was seen in video broadcast on local media skidding down the runway without any landing equipment released in the past hitting a wall in an explosion of flame and debris.

At this point there are a lot more questions than we have responses. Why was the plane going so quick? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down? stated Gregory Alegi, an aviation expert and former teacher at Italy's air force academy.

South Korean authorities are examining the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, consisting of the impact of a potential bird strike and the weather. 179 of 181 individuals on board passed away.

Deputy Transportation Minister Joo Jong-wan stated the runway's. 2,800-metre length was not a contributing element, and that walls. at the ends were developed to industry requirements.

A spokesperson for Jeju Air was not right away offered. for comment. Jeju Air declined to discuss the cause during. press conference, saying an examination is under method.

Christian Beckert, a flight security specialist and Lufthansa. pilot, stated the video footage recommended that aside from the. reversers, the majority of the airplane's braking systems were not. triggered, producing a huge problem and a quick landing.

Beckert stated a bird strike was not likely to have actually harmed the. landing gear while it was still up, which if it had happened. when it was down, it would have been hard to raise once again.

It's really, truly very uncommon and really unusual not to lower. the equipment, due to the fact that there are independent systems where we can. lower the equipment with an alternate system, he stated.

The probe ought to paint a clearer photo, he added.

Under global aviation guidelines, South Korea will lead a civil. investigation and involve the National Transportation Security. Board in the United States where the airplane was made.

Specialists say air accidents are generally brought on by a cocktail. of factors which it can take months to piece together the. sequence of occasions.

The flight data recorder was discovered at 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT),. about two and a half hours after the crash, and the cockpit. voice recorder at 2:24 p.m., South Korean authorities said.

Australian aviation specialist Trevor Jensen said fire and. emergency situation services would usually be prepared for a tummy landing,. so this seems unplanned.

CHAIN OF OCCASIONS

In the area of a couple of minutes, the control tower provided a. bird strike warning, pilots declared mayday and after that tried. to land, authorities stated, although it was unclear whether the. airplane had actually struck any birds.

A bird strike is not uncommon, issues with an. undercarriage are not uncommon. Bird strikes occur much more. often, but generally they do not cause the loss of an aircraft by. themselves, stated Airline company News editor Geoffrey Thomas.

A bird strike might have impacted the CFM International. engines if a flock had actually been sucked into them, however that would not. have actually shut them down straightaway, offering the pilots a long time to. respond, Australian airline company security expert Geoffrey Dell said.

After the bird strike caution and the mayday statement,. the pilots attempted to arrive at the runway from the opposite. direction, a transport ministry official said.

That modification of plan raised more questions for detectives,. said Marco Chan, a senior speaker in aviation operations at. Buckinghamshire New University and a previous pilot.

It was changed to the opposite direction relatively late as. well, which contributed to the work, Chan said. It's a great deal of. guessing video games at this stage.

The captain of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft had actually operated at that. rank since 2019 and logged 6,823 flight hours, the South Korean. federal government stated. The first officer had actually worked at that rank since. 2023 and had actually logged approximately 1,650 flight hours.

The 737-800 is one of the world's most flown airliners with. a typically strong safety record. It was established well before. the MAX variation involved in a current Boeing safety crisis.

Birds hitting the aircraft alone were unlikely to discuss the. scale of the catastrophe, stated Italian aviation specialist Alegi.

Naturally there may have been a bird strike, he said. However the consequences are much too big for that to be the direct. reason for the mishap..

(source: Reuters)