Aviation expert suggests ‘sinister’ cause of South Korea’s Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179

Jeju Air chief executive Kim Yi-bae said that there were “no specific or unusual issues during the maintenance process” of the aircraft before the crash at Muan Airport.

“We have 12.9 maintenance workers per airplane, which has increased from 12 in 2019,” he said.

Bartsch added that the pilot would have known about the high risk of landing, particularly without reverse thrust or flaps available to slow the aircraft down.

The Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 was traveling from Thailand to South Korea when it crashed upon landing at Muan Airport just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday.

He said that the airline was preparing compensation for the victims’ families, including covering the cost of funerals.

Speaking on Australia’s “Today” show, aviation expert Professor Ron Bartsch said something more “sinister” could be at play.

“Whether this structure exacerbated the damage is … something the Accident Investigation Committee plans to investigate thoroughly,” said deputy minister for civil aviation, Joo Jong-wan.

South Korea is observing seven days of mourning over the disaster. New Year celebrations were cancelled and flags are flying at half-mast.

“We have a strict maintenance checklist, it is not possible to miss things. If something was missed it would be a grave problem.”

“Of the 179 victims, the bodies of four have completed the handover procedures to their bereaved families for funerals,” transport minister Park Sang-woo said at Muan airport.

Authorities said on Tuesday they were investigating the role of the concrete barrier in the disaster.

Officials began releasing the bodies of plane crash victims to families Tuesday.

Funerals for some victims who had been identified and completed autopsies began Tuesday, he added.

‘No issues’

A standard pre-flight inspection found “no issues” with the Jeju Air passenger plane before it crashed.

He said its pilots were trained to regulation standards, and the company had two full flight simulators.

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