Newscasts - Crashed Jeju Air jet still had working engine, probe update says

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27/07/2025 15:00

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Source: 'Reuters - General news videos'

Description: A Jeju Air plane that crashed in December during an emergency landing after a bird strike could have kept flying on the damaged engine that was still working, after pilots shut down the other one, according to an update from South Korean investigators. Diane To reports.

Short Link: https://refini.tv/4o6KIbR

Video Transcript:

South Korean investigators have suggested that the Jeju airplane involved in December's deadly crash could have continued flying for longer despite damage to its engines due to a bird strike. That's according to the latest progress report seen by Reuters. Instead, the Boeing jet belly-landed at Muan airport on December 29 and slammed into an embankment. All but two of the 181 people on board were killed. The July 19 update was not publicly released after the victims' families complained, saying parts of it were misleading and appeared to blame the pilots without exploring other factors. The five-page report is not yet final but contains details about the plane's two engines. According to the update, the left engine was less damage than the right after the bird strike, but it was shut down 19 seconds after it was hit. Remaining right engine was more badly damaged. Still, the update said it was "confirmed to be generating output sufficient for flight." A source told Reuters on Monday the probe found the pilots had shut off the less damaged engine after the bird strike, but the newly emerged details raised the possibility that the remaining engine, despite the damage, could have kept the plane aloft for longer. The update did not say what level of performance it still had or what options that might have given the plane's crew before the jet landed in the opposite direction of the runway from its initial plan without its landing gear down. The probe is expected to last months as investigators reconstruct the plane's technical state and the picture understood by its pilots. Experts say most air accidents are caused by multiple factors and caution against putting too much weight on incomplete evidence. The investigation board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.