An investigation into South Korea’s deadliest air disaster has found that the pilot mistakenly shut off the wrong engine after a bird strike. But victims’ families say it unfairly blames him while overlooking other factors.
On December 29, 2024, Flight 2216 crashed into a concrete barrier while attempting to land at Muan International Airport after a bird strike disabled one of its engines. Of the 181 people on board, only two survived.
A preliminary report released earlier this year pointed to dual engine failure caused by bird ingestion. However, new revelations from cockpit voice recordings – reported by multiple local media outlets – shed light on a critical error in the cockpit.
According to the recordings, the captain correctly instructed the shutdown of engine number two (the damaged right engine), but the pilot mistakenly cut off fuel to the left engine instead and activated its fire extinguisher, permanently disabling it.
The misstep led to a complete loss of engine power and electrical systems, rendering critical safety mechanisms nonfunctional during the final moments of the flight.
The release of the full investigation report, initially scheduled for July 20, has been delayed following protests from victims’ families who were privately briefed on the findings.
They claim the report scapegoats the pilot while failing to address other contributing factors, such as aircraft design, maintenance procedures, or response protocols.
The final report is now expected to be released sometime next year.
