Migratory duck DNA found in Jeju Air aircraft engines
January 27, 2025
An initial report into South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster has confirmed the Boeing 737-800 suffered bird strikes in both its engines, indicating that feathers and bird blood have been formally identified. “The samples were sent to specialised organisations for DNA analysis, and a domestic organisation identified them as belonging to Baikal Teals,” said the report.
The Baikal Teal is a type of small migratory duck commonly found in South Korea during the winter season. “The pilots identified a group of birds while approaching runway 01, and a security camera filmed HL8088 coming close to a group of birds during a go-around,” the report continued. Mindful of the risks posed by the birds, after ATC cleared the aircraft to land, it subsequently advised the pilots to exercise caution against potential bird strikes.
A minute later, with the aircraft just under 500ft, both of the cockpit voice and date recording systems stopped recording. The pilots declared a ‘Mayday’ and proceeded to attempt a gear-up opposite-direction landing on runway 19, with the aircraft subsequently exploding into flames when it hit the concrete structure at the end of the runway. Only two of 181 individuals on board survived.
“After the crash into the embankment, fire and a partial explosion occurred. Both engines were buried in the embankment’s soil mound, and the fore fuselage scattered up to 30 – 200m from the embankment”.
These preliminary findings have been submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) – which requires accident investigators to produce a preliminary report within 30 days – alongside agencies in the US, France and Thailand. The victims’ families had previously been made aware of much of the report a few days before its wider publication.
With the flight data recorder recovered and transported to the US for analysis in partnership with the NTSB, the Ministry of Transport will now continue its investigation endeavours, including analysis of the wreckage and the remains of the embankment structure. The engines will also be disassembled for further inspection, with the Ministry cautioning that although “these all-out investigation activities aim to determine the accurate cause of the accident,” it is “expected that several months of detailed analysis and verification will be required”.