Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 Crash: Did Pilots Shut Down The Wrong Engine?

It's been over half a year since a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air crashed in Muan, South Korea. The incident, which took place on December 29th, 2024, took the lives of 179 of the 181 people on board. We take a look at the details coming from the ongoing investigation in today's video. A recap for those unaware of this tragic accident, The 737-800 performed an emergency landing after suffering a bird strike. A belly landing was performed, that is to say, it touched down without its landing gear extended. The jet, due to its speed, overshot the runway and erupted into a fireball after slamming into an embankment. While we are still far from a final report being produced, Reuters is disclosing details it has obtained. The media outlet notes that after being given clearance to land, it was at 8.57 and 50 seconds that air traffic control gives a quote-unquote, caution bird activity advisory. About 20 seconds later, at 8.58 and 11 seconds, Jeju Air pilots are heard talking about spotting a flock of birds under the aircraft. Just 15 seconds later, the aircraft aborts the landing attempt and then strikes birds while initiating a go-around. Despite the strikes, both engines continued to operate with vibrations. The right engine also experienced a surge, emitting large flames and thick black smoke. At 8.58 and 45 seconds, pilots stop the left engine while performing emergency procedures. Five seconds later, the aircraft's FDR and CVR stop recording, indicating a loss of power. At 8.58 and 56 seconds, one of the pilots makes a mayday declaration. After requesting and being given clearance to land, it was at 9.02 that the aircraft made contact with the runway, touching down at about the 1,200m point of the 2,800m runway. 57 seconds later, the 737 crashes into an embankment after overshooting the runway. Going over these details, we know that the left engine sustained less damage than the right following the bird strike. However, this less damaged left engine was shut down 19 seconds after the bird strike. It was added that despite the right engine experiencing a surge and emitting flames and black smoke, it was quote, confirmed to be generating output sufficient for flight. The New York Times, citing a person familiar with the investigation, says that the shutdown of the left engine likely led to a loss of electrical power and the removal of the aircraft's main source of thrust, hampering the pilot's ability to land. The Times goes on reporting that experts in the United States say that the actions raised the possibility that the pilots misidentified the engine that needed to be shut down. These same experts, however, caution that it remains too early to draw any firm conclusions. We can conclude that both engines were damaged by bird strikes, and the decision to shut down one engine instead of another could have been human error. At the same time, it also could have been a calculated decision based on information available to pilots at the time. What are your thoughts on this latest information? Let us know by leaving a comment.