Experts raise question of landing gear malfunction in S. Korea deadly plane crash | ABS-CBN News

Smooth belly-landing and control of the aircraft on approach were not enough to stop the South Korean airplane from a devastating crash, aviation expert and former pilot told Reuters on Sunday (December 29).

"So the pilots are clearly in control of the airplane, which again, begs the question, why did they not lower the flaps? Why did they not lower the landing gear?," aviation expert Gregory Alegi told Reuters.

The apparent absence of landing gear, the timing of the twin-engine Boeing BA.N 737-800's belly-landing at Muan International Airport and the reports of a possible bird strike all raised questions that could not yet be answered.

One hundred and seventy nine people were killed in the deadliest air accident ever in South Korea, when an airliner belly-landed and veered off the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport.

"The touchdown was fine, but then, of course, it wasn't enough to slow down the airplane and then it ultimately impacted the wall," former pilot Marco Chan said.

South Korean officials said they were investigating the cause of the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, including a possible bird strike.

Under global aviation rules, South Korea will lead a civil investigation into the crash and automatically involve the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States where the plane was designed and built.

(Production: Matteo Negri, Muvija M, Vitalii Yalahuzian)

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