An investigation into South Korea’s deadliest plane crash in over 30 years has found “clear evidence” the pilots shut off the wrong engine.
The Jeju Air flight crash-landed at Muan International Airport on 29 December 2024.
It skidded off the runway and exploded, killing 179 of the 181 people on board.
Investigators say a bird strike damaged both engines, but the crew shut down the less affected engine on the left side.
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“There was no engine defect,” the Air Traffic Commission said.
“There is circumstantial evidence that the pilot turned off the left engine, not the right.”
However, the victims’ families say they have no confidence in the findings.
They said the report lacks transparency and fails to consider wider safety and maintenance issues.
South Korea’s crash investigators have cancelled a planned media release about the Jeju Air disaster following objections from victims’ families.
The families were briefed ahead of time but opposed the report’s publication, claiming it unfairly blamed the pilots without properly considering other possible causes, according to their legal representatives.
The pilots’ union has also accused the government of using them as “scapegoats”.
“We resolutely reject the malicious framing that seeks to shift responsibility to the pilots,” the union said in a statement.
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