We will never ( how can investigators ever find out without the CVR ) know why the pilots felt it was safer to do a go around but it probably had something to do with the pilots noticing birds BELOW the aircraft ( flock of birds ).
They either had already sucked those ducks into both engines on final or when they when they applied TOGA thrust on the go around ( we don’t know for sure where the birds hit when they said they had a birds strike….could have been the nose or windshield……we just saw signs of a compressor stall on the go around….maybe that’s when the ducks got ingested ).
A lot more engine problems when flying with full thrust after ingesting big birds versus flying with low power like on final approach with the intent to land.
It’s easy for me sitting here enjoying my large coffee and bacon and eggs to arm chair speculate, but that’s my educated guess.
8:57:50 a.m. – Air traffic control gives “caution – bird activity” advisory.
8:58:11 a.m. – Jeju Air pilots are heard talking about spotting a flock of birds under the aircraft.
8:58:50 a.m. – The aircraft’s flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) stop recording. At the moment both blackboxes stop recording, the aircraft is flying at the speed of 161 knots (298 km/h or 185 mph) at an altitude of 498 ft (152 metres).
8:58:56 a.m. – Flight 7C2216 pilot declares emergency Mayday and tells air traffic control the aircraft is on a go-around due to bird strike.
9:00 a.m. – After initiating a go-around, Flight 7C2216 requests clearance to land on runway 19, which is by approach from the opposite end of the airport’s single runway.