Where the deadly South Korean airline crash investigation is heading
CNNCNN — Moments before the crash of Jeju Air flight 2216, a passenger aboard texted a friend that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft had struck a bird. “Wait a minute… we can’t land because a bird caught in our wing,” the passenger said at 9 am local time, on a Korean messaging platform, KakaoTalk, according to messages widely shared in South Korean media, including CNN affiliate JTBC. US officials, including the National Transportation Safety Board, plane maker Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, are working with South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board to provide more information about the incident. “It’s a complicated accident that involves many, many different factors that the investigators will be looking into to really understand the confluence of those factors that led to this disaster.” ‘Mayday, mayday, mayday’ Prior to the emergency landing, the pilot reported an emergency declaration and go-around due to a bird strike, according to Kang Jung-hyun, a senior official at the South Korean Transport Ministry. “We’re definitely trying to run pilots through training much faster, trying to do it as efficiently as we can, but boy, until we hear the words from the pilot and the cockpit of what was going on, then we can spotlight where it needs to be.” The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations published a statement saying it is closely monitoring the developments related to the crash and working closely with local member association, ALPA-K. “The Federation urges caution against speculation in media and social media surrounding the accident,” the statement added.