- South Korean officials abruptly canceled the release of an intermediate report into the deadly crash of the Jeju Air 7C2216 flight on Saturday.
- This happened after relatives of the victims disrupted a news conference, saying that the report was inadequate.
- Bereaved families said about the briefing that day, “It is a unilateral announcement by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.”
- As per the families, they are absolutely opposed to a briefing that was not even discussed with the bereaved families.
The announcement of the results of the investigation into the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster on December 29 by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Commission (ARI) was canceled due to protests from the bereaved families.
The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 passenger plane disaster occurred at around 9:03 AM on December 29th last year when an aircraft attempted to land on the Muan Airport runway, crashed into a localizer mound outside the runway, and exploded. Of the 181 people on board (6 crew members and 175 passengers), 179 died and 2 were injured.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute were scheduled to announce the results of a detailed engine investigation to the press at Muan International Airport on the 19th, but canceled the announcement.
The Korea Railroad Research Institute announced the results of its investigation to the bereaved families before releasing them to the press, but the bereaved families opposed the release, saying they were “unconvinced.”
After the briefing session, some bereaved family members visited the office on the 3rd floor of the management building at Muan International Airport, where a press briefing was scheduled, and demanded that the briefing be cancelled.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 19th, the first briefing on the detailed engine investigation related to the Jeju Air crash, scheduled for 3 p.m. that day at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, has been indefinitely postponed.
After the accident, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute sent two engines to the French CFM International, the manufacturer of the engine for the accident plane, to disassemble and investigate the engines.
About 25 people from three countries, eight organizations, and manufacturers, including the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the French Air Accident Investigation Board (BEA), participated in the joint investigation.
As per sources, the accident investigation committee investigating the cause of the Jeju Air B737-800 aircraft (HL8088) disaster at Muan Airport has tentatively concluded that there was no engine defect and that the pilot likely turned off the engine by mistake.
However, the IDG, which is connected to the engine and generates power, also stopped working, and the accident investigation committee believes that the pilot may have turned off the engine by mistake.
An official from the accident investigation committee explained, “The pilot should have turned off the right engine, which was severely damaged by the bird strike, but he turned off the left engine, which was spinning, and so the black box and power went out.”
As a result, the investigation committee explained that both engines lost power and the landing gear, which corresponds to the wheels, did not come down.
The bereaved families say they cannot trust the investigation results, which only announces its conclusions without disclosing clear evidence.
After the protest, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Commission (ARI) decided not to make an announcement in consideration of the bereaved family’s wishes.
Kim Yu-jin, head of the Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Bereaved Families Association, explained to reporters on this day,
“We requested that the cause be identified and announced if there were any results, but (today’s briefing for the bereaved families) was a one-sided notification of the results of the accident investigation.”
“The bereaved families can be convinced only if there are many supporting documents attached and they are clear, but (the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) is explaining only with the results,” and
“In particular, during the investigation process, we heard that the supporting documents cannot be disclosed. In the control records, other than the 4 minutes and 7 seconds that the bereaved families want, nothing is being disclosed.”
He added further,
“I hope that the (Korean Railway Commission) will first provide answers regarding the undisclosed records and investigation records, and then hold a press briefing,” adding, “The cause of the accident must be revealed and safety measures must be put in place to prevent a recurrence so that a disaster like this does not happen again.”
A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official said,
“We will not disclose the results of the detailed engine investigation that we were planning to brief today. We will decide whether or not to release the results of the investigation after consulting with the bereaved families.”
Worth noting here, South Korean Police investigating the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster have indicted a total of 24 people, including Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo, Jeju Air CEO Kim Yi-bae, employees of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Airport Corporation, and localizers at the airport, on charges of negligent homicide.
These 24 individuals are being investigated on charges of being in charge of air traffic control and bird strike prevention work, respectively, or violating laws related to airport facilities.
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