South Korea's Deadliest Air Disaster: The Jeju Air Tragedy

South Korea is set to release a preliminary report on the catastrophic Jeju Air crash that claimed 179 lives. Investigation highlights a December 29 bird strike as a factor in the crash. Flight data, voice recordings, and bird evidence are being scrutinized to uncover the crash causes.

A preliminary report on last month's Jeju Air plane crash, which resulted in 179 fatalities, will be made public by South Korea by Monday, as announced by the transport ministry. This tragedy marks the deadliest air disaster on Korean soil.

The probe is scrutinizing the role of a bird strike in the December 29 crash of flight 7C2216, which was approaching Muan International Airport from Bangkok. According to a ministry statement, this report will be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.S., France, and Thailand. Seoul is working in tandem with investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety.

Analyzing and verifying flight data and cockpit voice recordings, which ceased four minutes and seven seconds before the crash, will span several months. The aircraft's interaction with birds is central to the probe, reported the ministry, as pilots declared a mayday following a bird strike while executing a go-around at 08:58:56 a.m.

(With inputs from agencies.)