South Korea parliament passes bill to launch probe into 2024 Jeju Air crash

SEOUL – South Korea’s parliament passed a bill on Monday to launch an independent investigation into the Jeju Air plane crash in December 2024 that killed 179 people, the deadliest aviation disaster on the country’s soil.

The probe will be conducted by an 18-member panel of lawmakers tasked with examining possible causes of the crash, including whether sufficient measures were taken to mitigate the risk of a bird strike, potential engine or mechanical failures, and the role of an embankment the aircraft struck at the end of the runway.

The inquiry will also assess whether any government agencies attempted to cover up or downplay findings from the official investigation, according to the bill.

The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 made a belly landing at Muan airport without its landing gear deployed after an aborted landing attempt. The aircraft overshot the runway and slammed into an embankment, erupting into a fireball that killed all but two of the 181 people on board.

A government-led investigation by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board has yet to release a final report. In an interim report issued in January, the board said both engines had sustained bird strikes.

However, in an update seen by Reuters in July, investigators found that the left engine had been shut down despite sustaining less damage than the right engine and could have continued to power the aircraft.

Experts also said the embankment at the end of the runway, which supported airport navigation equipment, did not meet international standards that require such structures to be designed to give way easily upon impact.

Aviation experts caution that most air accidents result from multiple contributing factors and warn against drawing conclusions based on incomplete evidence. -Reporting by Jack Kim and Hyunjoo JinEditing by Ed Davies/Reuters