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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Seoul, October 13 — The Jeju Air passenger jet that crashed at Muan International Airport last December, killing 179 people, had undergone eight engine part replacements in the year leading up to the disaster — all involving an engine later found to have a manufacturing defect, according to newly disclosed government data.
Representative Kim Eun-hye of the ruling People Power Party, citing a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) report titled “Maintenance Record of the Muan Crash Aircraft (HL8088),” revealed that the jet experienced 10 separate cases of malfunctions, component damage, and system error messages between 2023 and 2024, requiring repeated maintenance. Among the affected parts was the Electronic Engine Control (EEC) — a key system responsible for thrust management during landing.
Faults Concentrated in Right Engine
The report shows that all eight engine-related failures in 2023 occurred in the right-hand engine — the same one later found to have suffered severe damage in the post-crash investigation by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB).
Further examination revealed that this engine model, the CFM56, had been identified in 2023 by German aerospace manufacturer MTU Aero Engines as containing “manufacturing defects” stemming from a forging process issue that weakened internal materials.
The same model of engine was also involved in a 2022 Jeju Air flight (HL8303) that was forced to return to Kansai Airport en route to Jeju due to engine failure. Both aircraft used CFM56 engines made by CFM International (CFMI), a U.S.–French joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines.
Dispute Over Cause of the Crash
MTU’s analysis, delivered to Jeju Air, concluded that “defects in the special forging process during engine production led to internal material degradation.” However, the ARAIB’s interim findings, released in July, drew backlash from victims’ families after suggesting “pilot error” — specifically, that the pilot mistakenly shut down the left engine instead of the severely damaged right engine during the emergency.
Families criticized the board for overlooking the engine defect and potential external factors, accusing investigators of prematurely ruling out mechanical failure or manufacturing flaws as primary causes.
The final investigation report is still pending, while calls are growing for an independent review of the CFM56 engine’s manufacturing history and maintenance oversight.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
