A joint investigation related to the fire on the AIR BUSAN passenger plane that occurred at Gimhae International Airport is expected to be completed by 6 p.m. on the 3rd.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the ministry's Aircraft and Railroad Accident Investigation Committee, the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, the police scientific investigation team, the fire authorities, and the National Forensic Service began a joint investigation at the fire site at 9:30 a.m. that day.
The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis participated in this investigation in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, which stipulate that the country of manufacture and design of the aircraft (AIRBUS A321-200 model) must be involved in accident investigations.
Considering safety issues, only about 10 of the more than 40 members of the joint investigation team were deployed inside the aircraft. It has been reported that the National Forensic Service and the police scientific investigation team are currently conducting an internal examination.
They are photographing the collected evidence, categorizing and listing items, and performing visual analysis. Secured evidence will be transferred to the analysis facilities of the Aircraft and Railroad Accident Investigation Committee and the National Forensic Service for further investigation and detailed examination. It is expected that considerable time will be required to complete the examination.
This investigation is centered on the overhead bin at the rear of the passenger plane, which the passengers and crew identified as the ignition point, and is focused on identifying the exact cause of the fire. The decision on whether to release the results of the investigation will be made considering the impact on the future accident investigation.
Earlier, at 10:15 p.m. on the 28th of last month, a fire broke out on AIR BUSAN flight BX391, which was preparing for takeoff to Hong Kong at Gimhae Airport. As a result, all 176 passengers and crew members made an emergency evacuation.