South Korean investigators said Saturday they were close to finalising the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder from a fatal plane crash that left 179 people dead last week.

Families of the victims were taken to the crash site for the first time on New Year's Day to pay their respects.

South Korean officials are struggling to determine what caused a deadly plane crash that killed nearly 180 people on board, with the nation saddened, shocked and ashamed over the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades.

A plane carrying 181 people crashed while landing, killing most on board. Officials were investigating a possible malfunction with the landing gear and a bird strike.

After over 100 people were killed in a South Korea plane accident, here are the worst accidents and crashes in aviation history.

The deadliest accident in aviation history occurred in 1977, when two Boeing 747 jumbo jets collided on a foggy runway on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 of the 644 people on board the planes. Spanish investigators blamed the captain of the KLM 747 for taking off without clearance from air traffic controllers.

Officials are investigating the cause of the deadliest aircraft crash in South Korean history, which killed 179 people.

Investigators from the NTSB and Boeing were expected to join the investigation into South Korea's deadliest air crash.

After two leaders were impeached in as many weeks, a deadly plane crash has prompted South Korea’s feuding political camps to temporarily halt a protracted power struggle.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok has told emergency responders to use "all available" resources to respond to the crash.