South Korean police raided the offices of Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport on Thursday as part of the investigation into the catastrophic accident of a Boeing 737-800, which killed 179 people.
On Sunday, the jet carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea issued a mayday call and belly-landed before slamming into a barrier, killing everyone on board save two flight attendants who were rescued from the blazing wreckage.
Authorities conducted searches and seizures at Muan airport, where flight 2216 crashed; a regional aviation office in the southwestern city; and Jeju Air’s office in Seoul.
South Korean and US investigators, including Boeing employees, have been investigating the crash site since the catastrophe to determine the cause, with both black boxes discovered and decoding work underway.
“In relation to the plane accident… a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9 am (0000 GMT) on January 2 at three locations,” police said in a statement sent to AFP.
“The police plan to swiftly and rigorously determine the cause and responsibility for this accident in accordance with the law and principles.”
According to AFP, a search warrant was issued, and Yonhap reported that it was approved on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
South Korea has also declared that it will check all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by its airlines, with a focus on the landing gear, which appears to have failed during Sunday’s tragedy.
Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s acting president, said Thursday that “immediate action” must be taken if the investigation reveals any problems with the aircraft model.
Authorities earlier stated that 101 aircraft of the same model were in use by six different airlines.
“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,” Choi said Thursday.
“If any issues are found during the inspection, please take immediate corrective action,” he added.
The tragedy is the biggest aircraft disaster on South Korean territory.
South Korean authorities have finished the initial extraction of data from the cockpit voice recorder, but the flight data recorder was damaged and will be sent to the United States for study, officials said Wednesday.
Officials first suspected a bird hit as the cause of the catastrophe but have since stated that the investigation is also looking into a concrete barrier at the end of the runway.
