An investigation into South Korea's deadliest air disaster has revealed that a pilot mistakenly shut down the wrong engine, media reports said. locals.

Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed in December, killing all 179 people on board. The plane crashed into a barrier while attempting to land at Muan International Airport after a bird struck one of its engines.

The publication of the investigation's results, scheduled for last weekend, was delayed after protests from the victims' families, who were informed of its findings.

The families accused investigators of blaming the pilot while ignoring other factors that contributed to the crash.

There were moments of tension after the families interrupted a press conference with their protests in which the authorities were to announce the conclusions of their investigation last Saturday.

Just before the press conference began, investigators told the families of the victims and their lawyers that they had found no fault with the Boeing's engines and that it was a series of pilot errors that led to the plane descending too quickly and without deploying the landing gear.

On the morning of December 29, the pilots of Flight 2216 reported a bird strike and issued a mayday call as their aircraft approached the runway.

Their Boeing 737 was approaching the coastal town of Muan after taking off from Bangkok, Thailand.

The pilots then attempted to land from the opposite direction. A video showed the plane landing on its belly—without landing gear—and sliding down the runway until it hit a concrete barrier.

The plane exploded after hitting the wall at the end of the runway. Only two crew members sitting in the tail of the plane survived.

The plane's two engines were sent to France in March for analysis. Recent findings by South Korea's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Board revealed that a pilot had shut down the left engine, which was found to be faulty, rather than the right engine, which had been severely damaged by the bird strike.

The investigation confirmed the preliminary conclusions reached by aeronautical experts after analyzing video footage and the final moments of the flight. The plane's flight recorders lost power for the last four minutes of the flight, hampering the investigation.

"The pilot should have shut down the right engine, which had been badly damaged by the bird strike, but he shut down the still-working left engine, and the black box and power failed," an official involved in the investigation told South Korean broadcaster MBN.

However, the families of the victims said the report did not mention the concrete barrier at the end of the runway, which they say was what made the crash so devastating.

"The families of the deceased They seek a fair and transparent investigation into the crash,” they said in a statement, urging investigators to hold a press conference “only after a thorough and careful examination has been completed.”

Kim Yu-jin, a spokeswoman for the families, said, “When investigators take a position, they should back it up with supporting documents that convince the families,” she said.

She added, “We have repeatedly asked them to be careful with their disclosures because the way they communicate the investigation results can affect the compensation the families receive.”

Union criticism

In a statement Sunday, Jeju Air’s pilots’ union made similar criticisms of the recent findings for allegedly focusing on the pilots’ error in judgment and downplaying others factors.

However, a source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters that investigators would not change their findings as they had "clear evidence and supporting data."

Following the crash, South Korea's Transport Ministry announced in January that it would remove concrete barriers at seven airports.

In May, families of the victims filed a criminal complaint against Jeju Air Chief Executive Kim E-bae, accusing him of professional negligence. Kim is among 24 people being investigated over the crash.

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