By Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s transport ministry mentioned on Wednesday that it will take away the concrete embankment put in at Muan Worldwide Airport following final month’s Jeju Air crash, its deadliest home air catastrophe.
Whereas investigators are nonetheless probing what brought on Jeju Air flight 7C2216 to crash, together with reported chicken strikes, specialists have mentioned the huge berm that supported navigation antennas on the finish of the runway seemingly made the catastrophe extra lethal than it may need been in any other case.
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In among the first widespread reforms introduced for the reason that crash, authorities mentioned they’ll make new foundations or different changes for comparable antennas at seven airports together with Muan and Jeju Worldwide Airport – one in every of South Korea’s busiest – which are both under floor degree or simple to interrupt.
The choice got here after reviewing the buildings housing the antennas that information landings on the airports throughout the nation often called Instrument Touchdown Techniques (ILS), or a “localiser”.
“Muan Worldwide Airport plans to utterly take away the present concrete and reinstall the localiser in a fragile construction,” the ministry mentioned in a press release.
The Dec. 29 crash killed 179 folks, with solely two crew members seated close to the rear of the Boeing 737-800 plane surviving.
Video footage confirmed the passenger jet slamming into the construction and exploding after touchdown at excessive pace with out gear down and skidding previous the top of the runway.
The runway design has additionally been criticised as failing to satisfy security requirements, prompting authorities to increase post-runway security zones which are freed from main obstacles.
The transport ministry mentioned it is going to guarantee a 240-metre (787-ft) lengthy runway security space in any respect airports to satisfy all related laws. The realm at Muan airport was about 200 metres lengthy earlier than the crash.
Police mentioned individually that Son Chang-wan, the previous president of the state-run Korea Airports Company who was in workplace when the construction at Muan airport was renovated, was discovered useless in his residence on Tuesday of an obvious suicide.
Son was not beneath investigation over the aircraft crash and had not been summoned for questioning over it, a police official mentioned.
A shutdown of Muan airport has been prolonged till April 18, the transport ministry mentioned on Saturday.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Modifying by Jamie Freed)
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