South Korean police said Thursday they raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of an investigation into Sunday's crash that killed 179 people, the country's worst plane crash.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which had flown from Thailand's capital Bangkok to Muan in southwestern South Korea, landed on its belly and overshot the regional airport's runway before exploding in flames after hitting an embankment.
Two crew members who were sitting in the back of the Boeing 737-800 were pulled alive by rescuers but were injured.
Jeolla Provincial Police said in a media statement that investigators were searching the offices of the airport operator and the transportation ministry's aviation authority in the southwestern city of Muan, as well as Jeju Air's office in Seoul.
Investigators plan to seize documents and materials related to the operation and maintenance of the plane, as well as the operation of airport facilities, a police official told Reuters.
A Jeju Air spokesman said the airline was reviewing the situation. The airport operator could not immediately be reached for comment.
South Korea's acting president Choi Sang-mok has ordered emergency safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airliners following the Jeju Air crash that killed almost all passengers on board.
Aviation safety experts' questions about the cause of the deadly explosion have focused on an embankment designed to support navigation equipment, which they say is too stiff and too close to the end of the runway.
“This rigid structure proved disastrous when the skidding plane impacted,” said Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, adding concern that the navigation antenna was mounted on “such a massive concrete structure rather than a standard structural” installation metal tower/pylon.”
Landing gear not extended
An investigation into the Jeju Air flight is also ongoing, involving South Korean officials, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the plane's manufacturer Boeing.
It remains unanswered why the plane did not extend its landing gear and what prompted the pilot to make a second landing attempt after informing air traffic control that the plane had struck a bird and declaring an emergency.
The plane's flight data recorder, which suffered some damage, is being flown to the United States for analysis in cooperation with the NTSB.
Conversion of cockpit voice recorder data to an audio file should be completed by Friday, Acting President Choi Sang-mok said, which could provide key information about the doomed flight's final minutes.
A Transport Ministry official said Wednesday that it may be difficult to release the audio files to the public because they will be crucial to the ongoing investigation.
Choi told a meeting on disaster management that if a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in operation in the country detects any problems, immediate action should be taken. His office relayed comments Choi expressed at the beginning of the meeting.
Investigators from the NTSB, FAA and Boeing are in South Korea to assist with the investigation.
Choi asked that no efforts be spared to help the victims' families while the remains of those killed are handed over to them. He also asked the police to take action against anyone posting “malicious” messages and fake news related to the disaster on social media.