South Korean police raid the airport and Jeju Airlines offices after the fatal plane crash Aviation news

The police inspections come as aviation authorities investigate the cause of the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.

Police in South Korea raided Muan International Airport and the offices of Jeju Airlines and a regional aviation authority amid investigations into the deadliest air disaster ever on South Korean soil.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency carried out a “search and seizure operation” at the three locations on Thursday morning, officials said.

The raids come as aviation authorities, including officials from the United States, investigate the cause of the fatal crash of Jeju Airlines Flight 2216 on Sunday, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board.

South Korean authorities said on Wednesday that they had extracted preliminary data from one of the Boeing 737-800’s black boxes, while the other would be sent to the United States for analysis due to damage sustained in the accident.

South Korean officials have begun an inspection of all operational Boeing 737-800 aircraft as well as a broader investigation into the country’s entire flight operations.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok said Thursday that immediate action must be taken if inspections reveal any problems with the plane model.

“Since there is great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the Ministry of Transportation and related organizations should conduct a comprehensive operation maintenance inspection, education and training,” Choi said.

Aviation experts raised a series of possible causes and contributing factors to the disaster, including bird strikes, mechanical failure, and the presence of a hardened embankment less than 300 meters (328 yd) from the end of the runway.

The Boeing 737-800 touched down on the runway, without using its landing gear, shortly after the pilot reported a bird had struck the air traffic control tower, before sliding onto a concrete embankment and bursting into flames.

The accident was the deadliest accident involving a South Korean airline since a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 crashed into a hill in Guam in 1997, killing 228 people.