Engine maker GE joins South Korean probe of fatal plane crash

SEOUL - GE Aerospace, whose joint venture made the engines of the Boeing airplane that crashed in the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil, joined the investigation as Seoul extended by a week special inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 jets.

The transport ministry extended to Jan10 its inspections following the crash of a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air that killed 179 people, Joo Jong-wan, the deputy transport minister for civil aviation, told a press briefing.

"Investigators are in the process of probing the cause of the accident by piecing together a puzzle," Joo added.

The inspections had initially been set to wrap up on Friday (Jan 3), but another ministry official said further checks would look into matters such as whether airlines spent sufficient time on maintenance and secured parts for repairs.

Video images on social media appear to show smoke emerging from the plane's right engine in the lead-up to the crash.

Sunday's flight from Bangkok to the southwestern county of Muan belly-landed and overshot the runway at the regional airport, exploding into flames after hitting an embankment.

The ministry has said it would examine engines, maintenance records and landing gear on all 737-800s, with serious violations leading to suspension of an airline's operations.

The plane's engines are produced by GE Aerospace's CFM International joint venture with Safran. A media representative for GE Aerospace did not immediately respond to Reuters' emailed question about the investigation.

The addition of a GE representative takes to 23 the size of the investigation team, including 12 Korean investigators and US representatives from Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

While the cause