Rescue team members work at the site of a plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Dec. 31, 2024. Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo
SEOUL, South Korea—The initial results of an investigation into December’s devastating Jeju Air crash in South Korea showed that, while the plane’s both engines sustained bird strikes, its pilots turned off the less-damaged one just before its crash-landing. The finding, which implied human errors, drew quick, vehement protests from bereaved families and fellow pilots who accused authorities of trying to shift responsibility for the disaster to the dead pilots.
South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board initially planned to publicize the results of an investigation of the plane’s engines on Saturday. But it was forced to cancel its press briefing in the face of strong protests by relatives of crash victims who were informed of the findings earlier in the day, according to government officials and bereaved families.
