A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed at South Korea’s Muan International Airport Sunday morning, killing 179 of 181 people aboard in one of the country’s deadliest aviation disasters. Investigators are examining whether a bird strike led to catastrophic landing gear failure.
Flight 2216’s pilot reported a bird strike at 8:59 a.m. before declaring “mayday,” according to Yu Kyung-soo, aviation safety policy director at South Korea’s transport ministry. Video showed the 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 making a belly landing and skidding into a concrete wall before erupting in flames.
Take a look [WARNING: This is graphic] —
FIERY PLANE CRASH IN SOUTH KOREA, 181 PEOPLE ON BOARD.pic.twitter.com/pkbrnuI5Oe
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 29, 2024
“The aircraft then performed a go-around, and at 9:01 a.m., it was cleared to enter Runway 19,” Yu said. The plane touched down 4,000 feet into the runway before veering off course one minute later.
Two flight crew members survived with moderate injuries. A 33-year-old flight attendant suffered fractured ribs and spinal trauma but was conscious, according to Ewha Woman’s University Seoul Hospital director Ju Woong.
Among the dead were 11 students and a preschooler born in 2021. The passengers included 173 South Koreans and two Thai nationals. Families of victims, led by Park Han-shin who lost his brother, are demanding answers.
“You need to clearly establish what went wrong, why it went wrong, and allocate appropriate compensation and procedures accordingly,” Park said.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching investigators, while South Korean officials announced a special investigation of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic carriers.
Investigators will examine the airport’s concrete localizer facility that the plane struck, questioning whether it should have been built with more breakable materials.