(MENAFN- Live Mint) South Korean Police on Thursday, January 2, raided the offices of Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as a part of the ongoing investigation into the fatal crash of the Boeing 737-800, reported the news agency AFP.
The police conducted a search and seizure operation at the airport where flight 2216 crashed, a regional Aviation office in the southwestern city, and Jeju Air's office in the capital, Seoul, the police told the news agency.
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Jeju Air's chief executive, Kim E-bae, has also been banned from leaving the country as the investigation unfolds, as per the report citing the officer.
“The police plan to swiftly and rigorously determine the cause and responsibility for this accident in accordance with the law and principles,” police said in a statement sent to the news agency.
The flight was carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before slamming into a barrier, killing all aboard except two flight attendants.
According to the news report, more bodies were released on Thursday to families to prepare for funerals, according to the land ministry, cited the news portal.
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Jeju Air flight 2216 was carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday, December 29. The plane's first landing attempt was aborted for unknown reasons; as the airline made a second attempt, the pilots received a bird strike warning.
As the low-cost South Korean carrier attempted the second landing run, the pilot issued an emergency. The aircraft landed without its front landing gears, brushing its belly against the runway tarmac. The aircraft then slid across the runway, overshooting the region and slamming into the airport perimeter wall.
Some experts suggested that the plane crash disaster likely would have been less deadly if the installation was not concrete, as per the news agency.
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The country announced that it would inspect all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the carrier with its main focus on the landing gear, which appeared to have malfunctioned, causing the crash.
South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, on Thursday, said that“immediate action” must be taken if that probe uncovered any issues with the aircraft model, as per the report.
Korean authorities have previously said 101 aircraft of the same model were in operation by six different airlines, according to the news agency.
“As there's great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant agencies must conduct a thorough inspection of operation maintenance, education, and training,” said Choi cited the news portal.
The accident is the worst aviation disaster in South Korea, as per the report.
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