The investigation into Sunday’s plane crash in South Korea intensified on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, as authorities came under pressure to explain how the jetliner lost control and to identify victims.

Families of the dead – 175 passengers and four crew – remained at Muan international airport, the scene of the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil, to demand more information from authorities.

The National Police Agency disclosed that it had enlisted additional officials and would use rapid DNA analysers to speed up the identification of five bodies. All of the other victims have been identified but most remain at a temporary morgue at the airport.

A news agency, citing local officials, announced that the bodies of four of the identified victims in Sunday’s crash have been handed over to their families.

The exact cause of the crash is still unknown. Early theories centred on a bird strike, although some experts do not believe a collision of that kind would have been forceful enough to prevent the pilot from lowering the Boeing 737-800’s landing gear as it approached the runway.

Bird strikes aside, investigators are trying to establish if any of the aircraft’s control systems were disabled, as well as why the pilot apparently attempted to land so soon after declaring an emergency.

The plane, powered by two CFM 56-7B26 engines, appeared to be travelling at great speed when the pilot attempted a “belly landing.”

Criticism of the airport’s layout mounted, with aviation experts questioning why a large dirt-and-concrete embankment used to support navigation equipment had been built about 250m from the end of the runway.

The victims are thought to have died after Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from Bangkok, crashed into the barrier, throwing passengers into the surrounding fields.

South Korean officials said that the embankment was built according to industry standards, adding that airports in other countries had similar features.

However, some experts questioned the need to build it so close to the end of the runway.

John Cox, Chief Executive of Safety Operating Systems and a former 737 pilot, claimed that the runway design did not meet industry best practices, which preclude any hard structure like a berm – a raised bank – within at least 300m of the runway’s end.

Crash Poses Challenge To South Korea’s New Acting President

The crash poses a serious challenge to South Korea’s new acting President, Choi Sang-mok, who has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the county’s entire airline operation, while the transport ministry will inspect all 101 Boeing 737-800s currently in operation in the country by the end of the week.

Choi, who replaced the impeached former President Han Duck-soo at the weekend, said the priority was to identify the remaining victims and support the passengers’ families.

At a disaster management meeting, he uttered, “Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families.”

Choi immediately declared a seven-day period of mourning and paid his respect at a memorial at the crash site. Similar memorials have been set up at other locations around the country, and flags were flying at half mast.

Representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, and aircraft manufacturer Boeing have joined the investigative body and planned to meet in Muan, 300 km south-west of Seoul, on Tuesday.

Establishing the cause of the accident could prove more complicated and time-consuming than usual, after the ministry said the plane’s damaged flight data recorder was missing key pieces, making it more difficult to extract its data.

A news agency stated that the second “black box” containing the cockpit voice recorder was in better condition.