A devastating plane crash killed 179 people when the aircraft skidded off the runway in South Korea upon landing. Now, an aviation expert is questioning whether a bird strike (a proposed theory) would have resulted in the crash.
Speaking on Australia's "Today" show, aviation expert Professor Ron Bartsch reflected on the tragedy. The expert questions if a bird strike alone could have brought down the plane.
"I suspect that the initial reports that have indicated that bird strike or weather may have been a contributing factor, but to me, that's pretty unlikely that a bird strike alone would be sufficient to bring down an aircraft or to foresee landing gear not to be able to be operative," he said, via Nine.
He also said that the pilot of the plane should have known he was attempting a high risk landing. He said, "So it may have been, and this is only speculation, that there may have been something more sinister on board the aircraft that could have caused it."
Plane Crash Kills 179
Prior to the flight, inspection found no issues with the Jeju Air plane. Jeju Air chief executive Kim Yi-bae said there were "no specific or unusual issues during the maintenance process." It leads experts to believe whatever happened, happened in the air.
"As for whether the landing gear functioned properly, that is directly related to the accident investigation, and we are not in a position to know at this time," he told a press conference.
Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 crashed upon arriving at Muan Airport from Thailand.
"We have 12.9 maintenance workers per airplane, which has increased from 12 in 2019," he said. "We have a strict maintenance checklist, it is not possible to miss things. If something was missed, it would be a grave problem."
It ended up being one of the deadliest airplane crashes in recent memory.
"Of the 179 victims, the bodies of four have completed the handover procedures to their bereaved families for funerals," Transport Minister Park Sang-woo said at Muan airport.
The airport skidded off the runway and crashed into a barrier, killing all but two people on board the flight.
