Bird collision came before South Korean runway crash: Investigators

ANKARA

Last month’s crash of a South Korean jet on the runway at Muan International Airport was preceded by birds hitting one of the plane’s engines, officials said Tuesday.

Lee Seung-yeol, head of the investigation at the Transport Ministry, said that the panel has verified that a bird strike took place before the plane crash, local outlet KBS World reported.

Lee added that investigators found parts of bird feathers while digging out dirt from the plane's engine.

Further investigation is needed to know the cause of the failure of the plane’s second engine, he said.

The Jeju Air flight crashed during landing at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, killing 179 people aboard. Only two flight attendants were rescued alive from the tail end of the plane.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid