Jeju Air crash: Evidence shows pilots shut off less-damaged engine

The South Korea-led investigation into Jeju Air's fatal plane crash in December 2024 has clear evidence that pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after a bird strike, said a source with knowledge of the probe.

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The source on July 21 said the evidence — including the cockpit voice recorder, computer data and a physical engine switch found in the wreckage — showed that pilots shut off the left engine instead of the one on the right when taking emergency steps after a bird strike, just before it was scheduled to land.

The source was speaking on condition of anonymity because investigators have 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.

The Boeing 737-800 jet crashed on Dec 29, 2024, at Muan Airport and killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board — the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.

Investigators told victims' family members on July 19 that the right engine had been more severely damaged by a bird strike than the left, and there was circumstantial evidence that pilots had turned off the less-damaged left engine, according to a third source who was at the briefing.