Both engines of the Boeing 737-800 jet that crashed in December, killing 179, contained remains of Baikal teals, a migratory duck that flies to South Korea for winter.
The remains of birds were found in the plane’s two engines, said a preliminary report on the country’s worst aviation disaster released today.
The six-page report released on Monday by South Korean authorities said that both Boeing 737-800 jet engines had DNA from Baikal Teals, a type of migratory duck that flies to South Korea for winter in huge flocks. It added that birds’ bloodstains and feathers were “found on each” engine.
However, the report provided no initial conclusions about what may have caused the Jeju Airplane to land without its landing gear being deployed and why flight data recorders stopped recording in the final four minutes. A probe being conducted by South Korean and US investigators continues.
The plane was flying from Thailand to Muan in South Korea on December 29 when it crash-landed and exploded into a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier. The disaster killed 179 of the 181 passengers and crew of the plane.
