Initial U.S. technical advisory team traveling to Jeju Air crash doesn’t include engine specialists

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The composition of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) technical advisory team traveling to South Korea to support the investigation into the Dec. 29 crash of Jeju Air flight 2216 that killed 179 of 181 people on board provides a notable guide into the early focus of the inquiry.

A spokesperson for the Board told The Air Current that its team enroute to Korea includes an accredited representative of the Board and individual investigative specialists in aircraft airworthiness and operations. The technical team is made up of representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, which manufactured the specific 737-800 in 2009. 

The initial U.S. group traveling to South Korea does not include NTSB specialists in propulsion or technical representatives of CFM International, the joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran that provided the engines for the 737 involved in the accident.

The absence of engine specialists traveling immediately to the crash site is notable, as one of the Jeju Air flight’s pilots reported a bird strike before the crash, and incidents involving significant engine damage and loss of power have historically included subject matter experts early on in the inquiry on site. The relevant parties and technical advisors to an accident investigation are typically assembled based on the early known facts of the inquiry that guide the search for answers.

There remain significant unanswered questions about the details of the accident as investigators piece together why the 737-800 landed at Muan International Airport with its landing gear, flaps and leading edge slats retracted.

Speculation about the cause of the accident has been rampant, with few concrete clues confirmed by Korean authorities. Oft-discussed possibilities have remained centered on possible loss of hydraulics and electrical systems following engine damage and a dual flame-out (the shutdown of both engines in flight), but Korean officials have not discussed this in public appearances.

The NTSB spokesperson added that the agency has flight data and voice recorder, fire and survival specialists supporting from Board headquarters in Washington, D.C. and representatives from CFM are supporting remotely. All technical advisors, including those from the engine manufacturers, could travel to South Korea as the investigation unfolds and more facts become available. A spokesman for GE Aerospace said it was deferring to the NTSB as the investigation progresses.

Jeff Guzzetti, former head of accident investigation for the FAA, and also a former NTSB specialist who participated in many foreign investigations, told TAC that it seemed unusual that the U.S. team traveling to the crash site would not include an NTSB powerplant specialist or an expert from the engine manufacturer. “Given what we know so far, the engine performance could be a significant player in this accident, but perhaps the NTSB has additional information to downplay their role,” he said.

Guzzetti was part of the U.S. team that investigated the 2002 dual engine flame-out of Garuda Indonesia flight 421, a Boeing 737-300 that ditched in a river in Central Java. All but one of the 60 passengers and crew survived that accident.

Purported footage of the Korean aircraft on approach appears to show a 737 experiencing what resembled a surge in its right hand engine after some type of impact, though the authenticity of the video as being connected directly to the Jeju Air flight has not yet been definitively confirmed.

Korean Transport Ministry officials said the pilots had reported a bird strike as they approached the coastal airport from the south, according to The Wall Street Journal. One of the pilots reported saying “Mayday, mayday, mayday, bird strike, bird strike, going around.”

The plane initiated a go around at 8:59 am local time, turning to fly upwind of its approach parallel to the runway before receiving clearance to land at 9:01 am on its base leg before it impacted the runway. The aircraft moments later struck an earthen berm used to mount instrument landing system components, destroying the aircraft. The aircraft voice and flight data recorders have been retrieved, with one partially damaged.

The Transport Ministry said Monday that it plans to conduct safety inspections of the country’s 101 737-800s operating at its domestic airlines, as well as a review of low-cost carrier Jeju Air, which operates a fleet of 39, according to WSJ.

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