Experts have expressed doubts about initial assumptions about the cause of the deadliest plane crash in South Korea, questioning the version of a bird strike as a major factor in the tragedy, BTA reports.
In the crash of the "Boeing 737-800", which occurred on December 28, almost all 181 people on board died.
The uncertainty over the causes of the accident remains after new questions emerged about technical problems with the plane and the behavior of emergency teams. The activation of the emergency safety plan has been questioned after video from local media showed the plane gliding along the runway without its landing gear deployed. A little later, it hit a brick wall, and a fire broke out at the scene of the accident.
“Why didn't the fire trucks spray foam on the runway? Why weren't they there when the plane landed?“ asks Jeffrey Thomas, editor of the news portal "Airline News". In addition, Thomas noted that a bird strike is not a common cause of landing gear malfunctions.
The South Korean Ministry of Transport has launched an investigation, confirming that flight and cockpit recorders were found. The recordings will provide all the information about the parameters of all the plane's systems.
Despite initial reports of a possible bird strike, experts say that bird strikes rarely lead to serious damage and are usually not the cause of crashes. “Bird strikes are not uncommon, but they rarely lead to catastrophic outcomes”, Thomas added, confirming that such incidents usually do not result in serious damage to aircraft.
Australian airline safety expert Geoffrey Dell also said he "has not seen a case where a bird strike has prevented the landing gear from deploying". Trevor Jensen, also from Australia, stressed that fire and emergency services are usually well prepared for such situations, especially landings without landing gear, which adds further questions about the coordination of actions during the incident.