US, Boeing probe site of S Korean air crash

South Korean officials have said they will look into whether the Muan airport's localiser should have been made with lighter materials

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A team of US investigators, including representatives from Boeing, on Tuesday, examined the site of a plane crash that killed 179 people in South Korea while authorities were conducting safety inspections on all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airlines.

All but two of the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air died in Sunday's crash. Video showed the aircraft, without its landing gear deployed, crash-landed on its belly and overshot a runway at South Korea's southern Muan International Airport before it slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a flame.

The plane was seen having an engine trouble, and preliminary examinations also say the pilots received a bird strike warning from the ground control centre and issued a distress signal as well. But many experts say the landing gear issue was likely the main cause of the crash.

The South Korean government has launched safety inspections on all the 101 Boeing 737-800s in the country. The Transport Ministry said authorities are looking at maintenance and operation records during five days of safety checks that are to run until Friday.