South Korea Jet Crash: Double Bird Strike Mystery Deepens Amid Missing Data and Outrage
The investigation into the Jeju Air 089590.KS crash, which killed 179, revealed bird feathers and blood in both engines. A pilot reported a bird strike four minutes prior to the crash, following an air traffic control warning about bird activity. The plane’s black boxes stopped recording four minutes before impact, hindering the investigation. This double engine bird strike is exceedingly rare, though successful emergency landings following similar incidents have occurred. The lack of data from the black boxes suggests a complete power failure may have occurred.
John Q. Hosedrinker