The South Korean government said it will announce the exact cause of Sunday's deadly plane crash as soon as authorities complete the corresponding investigation, taking a prudent approach as theories of bird strike or gear malfunction are being suggested as possibly causing one of the worst air traffic tragedies in the country's history.
Ju Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said it would be best for aviation authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the crash of Jeju Air 7C 2216 before making the announcement to avoid confusion.
"As soon as the accident has been dealt with, we will probe the cause of the accident through officials and provide a briefing on the results," Ju said in an official briefing at around 1:30 p.m.
Ju dismissed speculations that the relatively short runway at the Muan International Airport contributed to the tragedy in any way. "The runway is 2,800 meters long and has been used by C-type airplanes. ... It would be safe to assume that the length of the runway is not why the accident occurred," he said.
Ju Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, speaks in a briefing about the deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, Sunday.
C-type aircraft refers to the International Civil Aviation Organization's categorization of aircraft with a wingspan between 24 meters and 36 meters. The plane in the crash was a Boeing 737-800, which has a wingspan of 35.8 meters.
The ministry official refrained from commenting in detail on a potential bird strike or landing gear malfunction, each of which has been speculated to be the direct cause of the accident. "An actual probe's result may be different from what is presumed from seeing with one's eyes. ... We would be able to know the cause only after a precise investigation."
It is unclear if the pilots of the aircraft had attempted a go-around, which is to abort landing on a final approach or when having already touched down. The ministry said it will check to see if the pilots attempted such a procedure through communication records with the control tower at the airport.
While officials are cautious about pinpointing the exact cause of the accident, testimony from eyewitnesses led many to believe that it was caused by a landing gear malfunction from a bird striking one of the engines. It was reported earlier that one of the passengers on the ill-fated aircraft had sent a family member text messages to that effect while onboard, right before the plane attempted the landing at around 9 a.m.
An unconfirmed video of an airplane apparently having a small explosion in the air circulated online Sunday morning, with rumors that it was of the ill-fated Jeju Air flight. However, authorities said that they cannot confirm the authenticity of the video, and they were unaware of where the video came from.
Jeju Air 7C 2216 was en route to land at Muan International Airport after taking off from Bangkok, but overshot the runway due to an unconfirmed cause. It collided with the perimeter fence and ignited, leading to an explosion and fire.
At least 120 people had been confirmed to have died in the crash landing as of 2:40 p.m., out of 175 passengers and six crew onboard. Two people were confirmed to be rescued, and are being treated at hospitals in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, some 20 kilometers south of the airport where the tragedy occurred.
Jeonnam Fire Service said earlier in the day that most of the people still unaccounted for appear likely to have perished in the accident.
