Speculation over braking system malfunctions other than landing gear deployment failure

[Anchor]

The accident-incurred aircraft failed to reduce speed while landing on its belly and veered off the runway, crashing into the airport fence.

Upon reviewing the situation, there are speculations that not only the landing gear necessary for braking but other braking systems may have also not have functioned properly.

Kim Myung-joo reports.

[Report]

The aircraft sent a distress signal just two minutes before it made a belly landing at Muan Airport.

The landing gear, or wheels, did not deploy, preventing the aircraft from slowing down.

It had no choice but to rely on the friction between the fuselage and the runway surface.

Even if the engine had failed due to a collision with a flock of birds, the landing gear could have been operated manually, but this too did not work.

Whether the manual lever was completely inoperable will likely be revealed in future investigations.

[Song Byeong-heum/Professor Emeritus, Department of Aviation Operations, Korea Aerospace University: "The fact that it couldn't be dropped (manually) by gravity suggests there might have been some kind of system malfunction. It's difficult to directly link it to the engine failure from bird strike."]

Aviation experts suggest that to reduce weight and prevent fire, it is essential to burn off as much fuel as possible before a belly landing.

It appears that the aircraft did not follow this procedure and crashed into the airport's outer wall.

[Joo Jong-hwan/Director of Aviation Policy, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "We need to check whether (fire prevention) measures were taken on-site at specific times, but given the very short time frame of the accident, it's uncertain whether any measures were implemented..."]

In addition to the landing gear, the wing flaps that help reduce speed during landing also did not deploy.

A thorough investigation through black box analysis is necessary to determine the exact cause.

This is KBS News, Kim Myung-joo reporting.