Duck remains discovered in engines of crashed South Korean jet, report says

Investigators say they have found duck remains in both engines of a Jeju Air planed that crashed in South Korea in December and killed all but two of the 181 people on board.

The Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport on December 29, after its landing gear failed to deploy, causing it to skid off the runway and hit a concrete structure, which caught fire.

The victims were mostly South Korean, with two Thai nationals among the casualties.

Investigations have concluded the blood stains and feathers found in the aircraft belong to the Baikail teals – a migratory duck that flies to South Korea for winter in large numbers – according to a preliminary report that was published on Monday.

Authorities will now disassemble the engines of the aircraft, to examine their components in depth.

The wreckage of a Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air. / Credit: AP

The plane’s two black boxes stopped recording around four minutes before the crash, making it more difficult to determine the exact cause.

Investigators found evidence that air traffic controllers had alerted the pilots to potential bird strikes two minutes before the aircraft sent out a distress signal, confirming that a bird strike had happened.

The South Korean Transport Ministry has stated they will remove the concrete structure involved and continue investigating the bird strike, the plane’s engines, and other factors that may have contributed to the accident.

The Muan airport will remain closed until April 18.