Jeju air crash What the preliminary report says

??For the past weeks, South Korean authorities have been investigating the crash of the Jeju Air B737 on December 29 at Muan International Airport, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board. The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) requires investigators to produce a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident and encourages the publication of a final report within 12 months.

??The report indicates that at 8:57 a.m. local time, the control tower alerted the crew to potential bird activity. At 8:59 a.m., the pilot declared a mayday after reporting a bird strike. The pilot then requested clearance to land in the opposite direction and finally performed a belly landing without the landing gear being deployed before crashing into a concrete wall. Authorities confirmed that the black boxes had stopped recording around four minutes before the disaster.

??Investigators confirmed that feathers and bloodstains from a type of migratory duck were found on both engines, confirming the bird strike theory. “The Boeing 737-800 engines will be dismantled and the concrete structure at the end of the runway will be further examined,” the report states. But that still doesn't explain why the crew didn't extend the landing gear and carried out a belly landing...