From my expert:
Bird strike likely, but was NOT the cause of the crash.
The cause was the loss of ALL THREE independent hydraulic systems and/or pilot error. The pilot error was to try and land so quickly before having time to assess the problems and go through all the proper check lists.
The gear can be lowered manually, so why didn’t they? TIME, panic.
“I MUST get back to the airport NOW!” itis.
SK government is having a lot of problems lately and is trying to fend off the inevitable avalanche of criticism and lawsuits by suggesting Boeing is somehow at fault. The government will fall over this - unfortunate because the ruling party is at least nominally the conservative anti-Communist faction.
Thing is, if he had continued his original approach, he probably could have landed safely. Wheels were down, flaps were set.