Both engines on the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 that crashed in South Korea last month had the remains of ducks inside, according to a preliminary report released by the government on Monday. The DNA from Baikal Teals, a common migratory bird that flocks to South Korea every winter, was identified, confirming one part of the events that ended with a belly landing and explosion when the plane hit a concrete-topped mound at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29. There had been earlier reports that the plane was seen flying through a flock of birds and video of smoke puffing from the right engine. All but two of the 181 occupants died.
Because the voice and data recorders stopped recording four minutes before the plane’s impact with the mound, investigators have their work cut out for them figuring out why the crew first went around and then landed gear-up in opposite direction after calling the Mayday. The recorders stopped when the plane was at about 500 feet and going 161 knots about 1.1 nautical miles from the runway. All the wreckage has been recovered and is being dismantled and tested. The full investigation is expected to take at least a year.
