US, Boeing to support South Korea in Jeju air crash investigation

The United States will assist South Korea in investigating the crash of a Jeju Air plane at Muan International Airport, officials said.

A team led by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and including representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing will support South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"The NTSB is coordinating with South Korean authorities to provide expertise in the investigation," the statement said.

South Korea will oversee the probe and release all updates, the NTSB added.

The Jeju Air plane crashed at Muan Airport on December 29. Details about the incident, including the number of passengers and the cause of the crash, were not immediately available.

Jeju Air and South Korean authorities have yet to comment on the investigation. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

To recap, a devastating aviation accident at Muan International Airport in South Korea on December 29, 2024 has resulted in the loss of 179 lives, making it the deadliest air disaster in the country's history.

The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, en route from Bangkok, Thailand, attempted to land at approximately 9 a.m. local time but veered off the runway after its landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft belly-landed, collided with a concrete barrier, and exploded, leaving it almost entirely destroyed.

Of the 181 individuals on board, only two crew members survived and are receiving treatment in hospital. The victims included passengers aged between three and 78, primarily South Koreans, along with two Thai nationals.

Firefighters described survival chances as "extremely low," with many passengers thrown from the wreckage. Recovery efforts are ongoing, but the identification of victims is expected to take considerable time.

This tragedy surpasses previous air disasters in South Korea, including the 1983 Korean Air incident and the 1997 crash in Guam.

By Aghakazim Guliyev