The Final 6 Minutes Before South Korean Plane Crash
 A Bird Strike Moments Before the Crash of Jeju Air Flight |
 'A Bird is Stuck on Wing' - Final Text Message of Jeju Air Plane Passenger |
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| The last 6 minutes of South Korean plane that crashed tragically |
At 8:57 a.m. local time, air traffic controllers alerted the plane about the risk of a bird strike, according to information from South Korea's Ministry of Transportation cited by Yonhap.
One minute later, at 8:58 a.m., the pilot issued a "mayday" distress signal. The aircraft attempted to land at 9:00 a.m. but crashed at 9:03 a.m.
The Ministry of Transportation provided additional details, stating that initially, the plane had attempted to land on Runway 01 when the control tower issued a warning about birds in the area.
After the pilot declared an emergency, the control tower directed the plane to land in the opposite direction on Runway 19. The pilot followed the instructions, but the plane struck ground-based navigation equipment before crashing into a wall.
Video - A Bird Strike Moments Before the Crash of Jeju Air Flight:
One of the two surviving crew members reportedly confirmed initial hypotheses regarding the cause of the crash. According to the fire department, the survivor mentioned shortly after being rescued from the wreckage that the aircraft had collided with birds.
The Ministry of Transportation confirmed that investigators had recovered the flight data recorder, while the cockpit voice recorder was still being searched for.
The flight data recorder is a critical source of information, providing necessary data for aviation safety investigators analyzing the incident.
South Korea's National Police Agency deployed 169 forensic specialists to assist with victim identification. Additionally, 579 officers were dispatched to support search efforts and escort emergency vehicles at the crash site.
The Jeju Air flight crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport on the morning of December 29. At the time of the accident, the plane was carrying 181 people, including passengers and crew.
The incident resulted in at least 179 fatalities, according to local officials. Two survivors were rescued from the tail section of the aircraft and are being treated at a nearby hospital.
The Muan Fire Department reported that the aircraft skidded off the runway.
The plane attempted a belly landing at approximately 9:03 a.m. after its landing gear reportedly failed to deploy. It was observed sliding along the runway before crashing into the airport's perimeter wall, splitting into two sections at the front and rear, and catching fire.
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