Jeju Air crash: did pilots shut down wrong engine after bird strike?

The bereaved families and pilots’ union rejected the report, calling for more scrutiny into other contributing factors, a source said

Reading Time:3 minutes

The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft lies near the concrete structure it crashed into at Muan Airport, South Korea, on December 30 last year. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:53pm, 21 Jul 2025

The South Korea-led investigation into Jeju Air’s fatal plane crash in December had “clear evidence” that the pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after a bird strike, a source with knowledge of the investigation said on Monday.

The source said the evidence, including the cockpit voice recorder, computer data and a physical engine switch found in the wreckage showed that the pilots had shut off the left engine instead of the right when taking emergency steps after a bird strike just before it was scheduled to land.

“The investigation team has clear evidence and backup data, so its finding will not change,” the source said on condition of anonymity because investigators had not released an official report including this evidence.

A government source said examinations of the plane’s recovered engines found that no defects had been present before the bird strike and crash.

Forensic experts, police investigators and firefighters work at the site of the deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport on December 29 last year. Photo: YNA/dpa

The December 29 crash of the Boeing 737-800 jet at Muan Airport killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board and was the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x