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Seoul, Jan 25 (Reuters) - South Korea is slated to publish a preliminary report on the Jeju Air plane crash that claimed 179 lives by Monday, marking the nation's deadliest air accident, the transport ministry announced on Saturday.

One aspect currently under scrutiny is the potential impact of a bird strike in the December 29 crash of flight 7C2216 at Muan International Airport from Bangkok, as stated by the ministry.

The report is set to be shared with the International Civil Aviation Organization, as well as the United States, France, and Thailand, with investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety aiding in the investigation.

The analysis and validation of flight data and cockpit voice recordings, which ceased four minutes before the crash, along with communication recordings with the control tower, is expected to take several months, according to the ministry.

Notably, the pilots discussed bird activity under the Boeing 737-800 at 08:58:11 a.m., later declaring a mayday at 08:58:56 while on a go-around, citing a bird strike, as documented in the statement. CCTV footage from the airport also showed the aircraft making contact with birds during the go-around.

Previously, the ministry had indicated that the distress call was initiated due to bird strikes before the go-around.

The fatal crash occurred at 9:02:57 a.m., resulting in the plane colliding with an embankment and igniting, claiming all lives on board except for two crew members in the tail section.

Despite the surveillance footage being inconclusive regarding a spark from the bird strike, an official from the ministry informed Reuters that the footage confirmed the plane's contact with birds, albeit with an unclear timeline.

The discovery of duck feathers and blood in both of the aircraft's GE Aerospace engines was highlighted by the ministry.

Exploring the influence of the concrete embankment which supported navigation antennas, the ministry has decided to remove it, as experts suggested it may have exacerbated the tragedy.