Asiana crash pilot in suicide rumour

Details about one of the pilots in last Thursday's Asiana Airlines plane crash off South Korea's Southern island of Jeju near have raised questions about whether the Boeing 747 was brought down intentionally.

According to a report in the Korea Jungang Daily, one of the pilots of the cargo plane was found to have taken out seven property and life insurance policies a month before his death, insurance industry sources revealed.

The insurance payout for the pilot’s death is expected to reach around 3 billion won (US $2.8 million).

Asiana Airlines declined to comment on the rumours that the death could be classed as a suicide, according to the paper, but an unnamed source at the company said it was not unusual for pilots to take out several insurance policies, due to the dangerous nature of the job.

Sources in the insurance industry also added that the high salaries of pilots appear to rule out the possibility that financial need would be behind a suicide.

The accident is currently being looked in to by insurance companies, but it is expected that the payout will be given without any major holdups.

On Saturday, a large-scale search was conducted by two naval ships, five security vessels, three helicopters and eight vessels from the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration.

An underwater search is also underway for the plane’s missing black box and voice recorder, which are expected to solve the mystery of the plane crash.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also participating in the investigation to determine the cause of the fire that led to the crash of the Asiana airplane.