Puzzling 'bird hit' crash

Early theories suggest a bird hit could have caused the jet's landing gear to malfunction, but experts doubt it could cause the loss of an airplane

- Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung

A passenger plane burst into flames on Sunday after it landed on its belly off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence, killing 179 people on board, in one of the country's worst aviation disasters. The plane's front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.

The airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land. The bird is believed to have caused the jet's landing gear to malfunction.

A news agency reported a passenger even sent a text message to a relative saying a bird was stuck in the wing. The heartbreaking final message read: 'Should I say my last words?' But experts have raised doubts about the theory with Australian airline safety expert Geoffrey Dell telling Daily Mail: "I've never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended." Airline News editor Geoffrey Thomas aid bird strikes happen "far more often, but typically they don't cause the loss of an airplane by themselves."