South Korean authorities ordered a "comprehensive inspection" of all Boeing 737-800s operated by the country's carriers after a Jeju Air plane made an emergency landing a day earlier and burst into flames, killing 179 people on board.
Shortly after markets opened on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.1 percent to 42,507.31 points and the broader S&P 500 index fell 1.2 percent to 5,899.43 points.
The technology-oriented Nasdaq Composite index fell 1.4 per cent to 19 448.57 points.
"We're seeing some profit-taking at the end of a very strong year. With only two trading days left in the year, there's a lot of selling in technology stocks," said 50 Park Investments Chief Executive Adam Sarhan.
Among large companies, Boeing shares fell 4.9 percent in early trading.
"You have a situation where we have another crash and it's on a Boeing plane. But if it turns out to be a one-off accident, that's not going to be a problem for the company," Sarhan said. | BGNES
