An aircraft crash occurred in South Korea. All 179 of the 181 passengers and crew were confirmed dead, except for the two who were rescued. Passengers on board sent heartbreaking messages such as, "A bird is stuck between the wings, we can't land," and "We have to leave a will." Attempted belly landing but collided with fence and burst into flames (Reporter Satoshi Kawamura) "Work is still ongoing as the sun has set and the lights are on. We have seen heavy machinery being used to lift parts of the aircraft for a while now." Around 9 a.m. on the 29th, on the runway at Muang International Airport. A Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers and crew attempted a belly landing, but... it collided with an exterior fence and burst into flames. According to fire authorities, two crew members have been rescued so far, but all 179 remaining passengers have been confirmed dead. "Park Eun-jung, Lee Heung-ja, Kang Yong-ho..." The names of the passengers confirmed dead were read out in front of their families who rushed to the scene. Some people were crying because they saw the names of their family members. "Where are they? I'm going crazy!" Other than the two Thais, all passengers were Korean nationals, and there were no Japanese passengers. (Jeju Air President Kim I-bae) "We would like to express our deepest condolences and apologies to the passengers and their families who lost their lives in this accident." Jeju Air, a low-cost carrier in Korea, operates 62 domestic and international routes, including direct flights between Narita Airport and Korea and various parts of Japan. What on earth caused this disaster? ■Flying normally until just before... Bird strike? The passenger plane departed from Bangkok International Airport, the capital of Thailand, at around 4:00 a.m. Japan time. According to data from Flight Radar, which provides aircraft position information, the aircraft steadily gains altitude after takeoff. About three hours later, it passed over Taiwan. At around 9:00 a.m. Japan time, flight data is lost just before landing at Muang Airport in southwestern Korea. The local fire department said... (Fire department press conference) "The cause of this accident is believed to be a bird strike or worsening weather." A bird strike occurs when a bird strikes the aircraft or gets caught in the engine. Just before the accident, a female passenger sent a message to her husband... (Wife) "A bird is stuck between the wings and we can't land." Could a bird strike have been the cause of this disaster? ■ "I have to leave a will" to her husband from inside the plane (Park Sang-woo, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) "We will use all resources to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident." According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, the airport's control room called out "beware of birds" at 8:57 a.m. Two minutes later, at 8:59 a.m., the cockpit sent out the emergency signal "Mayday." Another minute later, at 9:00 a.m., the female passenger sent the following message to her husband. "Hold on a second, there's a bird stuck between the wing." "Huh?" "We can't land." "How long has that been happening?" "Do I have to make a will now?" Then, at 9:03am, the plane attempted a belly landing but failed and burst into flames. Authorities suspect that the cause was a bird strike, where a bird was sucked into the engine. According to local media, the lake near Muang Airport is known as a habitat for migratory birds such as mallards. In fact, footage from the scene shows birds flying in flocks. ■ Bird collision? "Something strange with the aircraft's speed" Can a bird strike cause the wheels to fail to extend? Tsukahara, a former captain of Japan Airlines, said (Tsukahara Toshio, former captain of Japan Airlines, director of SRC Research Institute): "It is normally unthinkable that a collision with a bird would result in a landing like that. The fact that the hydraulics did not work lies behind the seriousness of this accident. It may have been an unfortunate example of the oil leaking out from the pipes carrying the oil due to the destruction and damage to the engine (from the bird strike). The hydraulic system would malfunction. The wheels would not come down." What Tsukahara focuses on is the speed of the aircraft during the belly landing. It appears to be entering the runway at a fairly high speed. (Tsukahara Toshio, former captain of Japan Airlines, director of SRC Research Institute) "The reason it came in so fast is that flaps and slats extend forward and backward from the main wing to increase lift during takeoff and landing and to increase the wing area. When we looked this time, they weren't being used. The air brakes couldn't be used eit