Editorial | Answers awaited on air disaster in South Korea
Recorders from wreckage of South Korea’s worst plane crash should offer clues on whether a bird strike or engine and undercarriage problems were to blame
After every commercial aircraft disaster and crash investigation we are reassured that air travel remains the safest.
It makes no difference how many lives are lost in a single accident, whether the cause is identified or even whether an airliner has disappeared without explanation, such as Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in 2014.
We can expect the same reassurance after the fiery crash landing of a Jeju Air flight in South Korea, with the loss of all but two of the 181 passengers and crew, because it remains an accepted truth.
But that is all the more reason for the crash inquiry to establish why the Boeing 737-800 landed without wheels, after its undercarriage failed to lower, and skidded into a wall built beyond the runway to contain a guidance system.
Investigators have to assess possible contributing factors such as a reported bird strike on approach and an engine fire.
Our first thoughts must be with the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the victims, including two flight attendants who survived at the rear of the plane. It will be forever a sad memory of a season reserved for time with family and friends.
