South Korean Police Search Jeju Air Office And Airport Operators

Jeju Air aircraft with registration number HL8088. (Wikimedia Commons/Anton Homma)

JAKARTA - South Korean police said on Thursday they conducted a search at the Jeju Air airline office and operator Muan International Airport as part of an investigation into the country's deadliest flight crash.

Police investigators are searching airport operator offices and transportation ministry aviation authorities in the southwestern city of Muan, as well as Jeju Air's Seoul office, South Jeolla Provincial police said in a media statement.

Investigators plan to confiscate documents and materials related to the operation and maintenance of aircraft as well as the operation of airport facilities, a police official told Reuters.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Jeju Air said the airline was checking the situation. The airport operator company was not immediately willing to comment.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Jeju Air airline with flight number 7C2216 and registration of HL8088 from Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand had a fatal accident while landing at Muan International Airport, South Korea on December 29.

The plane carrying 175 passengers and six crew members on the flight turned into fireball after making an emergency landing and hitting the wall. Only two crew members survived the incident.

Questions by air safety experts about what caused the deadly explosion to focus on embankments designed to shore up navigation equipment that they think are too stiff and too close to the end of the runway.

"This rigid structure proved to be catastrophic when the skidded plane hit," said Najmedin Meshkati, professor of engineering at the University of Southern California, adding the navigation antenna was mounted on a "very tough concrete structure, not on the installation of a tower or a standard metal pole".

Investigations into Jeju Air flights are also underway involving South Korean officials, the US National Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), and aircraft maker Boeing.

It remains unanswered why the plane did not use its landing gear and what caused the pilot to seem in a hurry to make a second landing attempt, after notifying the aircraft's air traffic watchdog had collided with the birds and declared a state of emergency.

The record of aircraft flight data, which suffered some damage, is being taken to the United States for analysis in collaboration with the NTSB.

"The conversion of data from the cockpit voice recorder to the audio file must be completed on Friday," said acting President Choi Sang-mok, who could provide important information about the last minute of the destined flight.

Earlier, a transport ministry official said on Wednesday it might be difficult to release audio files to the public as it would be very important to the ongoing investigation.

Choi said at Thursday's disaster management meeting that immediate action should be taken if a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated in the country encounters any problems.

"Because there are great public concerns about the same aircraft model involved in the crash, the relevant transport ministries and organizations must conduct a thorough examination of maintenance, education and training operations," said Choi.

Choi's comments at the beginning of the meeting were conveyed by his office.

Investigators from the NTSB, FAA, and Boeing are in South Korea to assist with the investigation.

Choi asked that no attempt be ignored in helping the families of the victims when the bodies of those who died were handed over to them. He also asked the police to take action against anyone who posted "crime" messages and fake news on social media related to the disaster.