Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of the Muan Fire Department, said in a televised briefing that the tail section of the plane could be identified, but “the shape of the rest of the plane cannot be recognized.”
He said bird strikes and bad weather may have been the cause of the crash, but the exact cause was still being determined. The flight deck and recorder from the plane were recovered, although Yonhap news agency reported that the former was damaged
Local media reported that one passenger on the flight texted a relative that the bird was “stuck in the wing” and that the plane could not land.
Officials, however, have not confirmed whether the plane actually collided with the birds.
A Jeju Air executive said the crash was not due to “any maintenance issues,” Yonhap reported.
South Korea’s transport department said the flight’s chief pilot had held the position since 2019 and had more than 6,800 hours of flight experience.
Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert and editor of Airline News, told the BBC that South Korea and its airlines are considered “best practice in the industry” and that the plane and airline have an “excellent safety record”.
He added: “A lot of things about this tragedy don’t make sense.”
