Investigators of the December 29 Jeju Air plane crash that resulted in the deaths of 179 passengers on board, have found bird feathers and blood in both engines of the jet.
The Boeing 737-800 plane, which departed from Thailand&rsquo;s capital Bangkok for Muan county in southwestern South Korea. According to reports, the plane&rsquo;s landing gear stopped working, which led to a belly landing. The plane overshot the runway, hit a concrete wall and burst into flames, leaving 179 out of 181 people on board dead.&nbsp;
Only two crew members at the tail end of the plane survived the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
The black boxes found from the plane&rsquo;s wreckage stopped recording data about four minutes before the crash. The revelation has hindered investigation of the plane crash.&nbsp;
According to reports, one of the pilots had reported a bird strike and declared an emergency before initiating a go-around and attempting to land on the opposite end of the runway.&nbsp;
Around two minutes before the pilot declared the Mayday emergency call, Muan air traffic control had urged caution due to &ldquo;bird activity&rdquo; in the area.
Investigators this month said feathers were found on one of the engines recovered from the crash scene, adding that video footage showed there was a bird strike on an engine.
However, South Korea&rsquo;s transport ministry declined to comment on whether feathers and blood were found in both engines.
Bird strikes that impact both engines are also rare occurrences in aviation globally, though there have been successful cases of pilots landing the plane without fatalities in such situations including the 2009 &ldquo;Miracle on the Hudson&rdquo; river landing in the US.&nbsp;
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One of the engines recovered from the Jeju Air plane wreckage

Jeju Air jet crashed on Dec 29, leaving 179 dead; bird strike may be culprit

Muan Plane Crash: Feathers, Blood Found in Engines

Jeju Air jet crashed on Dec 29, leaving 179 dead; bird strike may be culprit

January 17, 2025 | 19:51 IST