Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
A passenger plane crash-landed at an airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday, skidding on its belly down the runway before bursting into flames, killing scores of people.
According to the local fire department, 179 people were confirmed dead, and only two of the 181 passengers and crew on board the plane survived. Two crew members were pulled alive from the crash site.
It was the worst air disaster to hit South Korea since 1997, when a Korean Air Boeing 747 crashed into the jungles of Guam, killing 228 people.
Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which departed from Bangkok and was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, crashed at the airport in Muan County in the southwest corner of the country just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday (7 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday). occurred.
Footage of Sunday’s crash broadcast by multiple South Korean news outlets showed the plane skidding on its belly at high speed, hitting an earthen embankment and erupting in a fireball.
Video broadcast on networks such as YTN, JTBC and MBC showed smoke pouring out from the rear of the plane as it taxied, with neither the rear nor the front landing gear visible.
Firefighters were later seen using water cannons to extinguish the burning wreckage of the plane, which was listed on FlightAware as a Boeing 737-800. Several parts of the aircraft were also seen scattered on the runway.
According to the Jeollanam Fire Department, the victims included 84 men, 85 women, and 10 whose gender is unknown. According to the rescue team, all survivors are crew members, one male and one female.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, two Thai nationals were among the crew members. All other passengers were Korean.
Experts told CNN it appears the plane’s undercarriage, specifically the wheels used for takeoff and landing, did not fully deploy before landing. However, the cause of this deployment failure is still unclear.
Aviation analysts said South Korean authorities needed more evidence to definitively determine the cause of Sunday’s crash, including speculation from local officials about a possible collision with a bird before the crash.
This comment was made after Muan City Fire Department Chief Lee Jeong-hyun explained to the media that the cause was “estimated to be a bird strike or bad weather.” Footage from the time of the crash showed clear skies at the time.
“Speculation is an investigator’s worst enemy,” said David Soucy, a former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector.
“In fact, that’s why information is so protected during air accident investigations. They shouldn’t make any assumptions about this kind of thing,” Soucy told CNN’s Paula Newton.
Aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton echoed Soucy’s concerns, urging South Korean authorities to “stop making declaratory statements” at this stage.
Video shows Jeju Air plane before it bursts into flames on South Korean runway
Aviation journalists said Sunday’s crash was “very puzzling” given that both the aircraft and the carrier had strong safety records and the flying conditions were favorable.
Jeffrey Thomas, editor of Airline News, said the Boeing 737-800 is one of the most widely used aircraft in the world, with each aircraft flying about four to five times a day. He told CNN’s Paula Newton.
“It is the most reliable aircraft in the world and has been in service for 20 years,” he said. “Everyone knows how it works, and it works really well. And the maintenance done in South Korea (Korea) is as good as it is done all over the world. Masu.”
“It’s a little unclear whether the undercarriage collapsed on landing or whether the undercarriage didn’t deploy at all. This is a really serious issue and will obviously be very focused by law enforcement.” added Thomas.
He added that it was “perplexing” that the crash occurred, given that it landed at a good airport and under dry, clear skies.
Jeju Air’s CEO said the plane had “no signs of problems” before Sunday’s accident.
Kim Yipei told a press conference at the airport, “It is difficult to determine the cause of the accident at this point, and we must wait for the official announcement of the investigation results by the relevant government agencies.”
Officials from the National Accident Investigation Commission had arrived to investigate the cause of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading a U.S. investigation team that includes Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assist South Korean authorities in investigating the accident. The NTSB said information about the investigation will be made public by the Korean Air and Rail Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB).
The control tower instructed the pilot to change course and land in the opposite direction to avoid the possibility of a bird strike, South Korea’s Ministry of Land Affairs said in a press conference. The pilot followed the instructions.
About a minute later, the pilot made a mayday call to the tower. The landing attempt took place about two minutes after the Mayday call, the ministry said. Authorities continue to investigate.
The “black box” flight data recorder and audio recording device were recovered by the accident investigation committee, ministry officials said.
Flight data recorders, or so-called “black boxes,” provide aviation safety investigators with important facts when solving incidents.
The ministry added that more than 700 people from the police, military and coast guard were mobilized for response operations at the scene.
South Korea’s acting president said the site of Sunday’s plane crash has been designated a special disaster area and promised a full investigation into the cause of the deadly disaster.
“We will devote all our efforts to the recovery and support of the victims. All necessary resources have been mobilized and a special disaster area has been declared,” Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
Choi, who visited the accident site on Sunday, said, “I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family,” and vowed to do everything in his power to manage the aftermath of the accident and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
The tragedy occurred just two days after Choi was inaugurated as acting president, the latest chapter in a period of political turmoil in South Korea.
The country’s current president, Yoon Seok-yeol, was stripped of his powers by Congress two weeks ago following a brief period of martial law that plunged the country into political turmoil. He is currently suspended until the Supreme Court decides his fate.
Han Deok-soo, who replaced Yoon as acting president, was impeached by the National Assembly on Friday, and Choi (Minister of Finance and vice prime minister) took his place.
Jeju Air jet video tells Richard Quest about crash
Boeing expressed its condolences to those who lost loved ones in the accident.
Boeing said in a short statement posted on its X account that it is “in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and stands ready to assist.”
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” the company added.
The US aviation giant has had a turbulent period in recent years, including two 737 Max crashes, in which the airline was found guilty of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration during the plane’s certification process. agreed to acknowledge.
But analysts say the Boeing 737-800, an earlier model distinct from the Max, is a reliable workhorse in the skies with an extremely strong safety record.
The scene inside Muan International Airport on Sunday afternoon as relatives and loved ones waited for news was one of heartbreak and pain. As authorities read out the names of the victims, many of those gathered broke down or screamed, Reuters video footage showed.
Several relatives were seen yelling at authorities and demanding more information.
One man can be heard shouting in the video: “I’m going crazy.” People could also be seen hugging each other and wiping their tears.
“I never thought this would be the last time I would see him forever,” the father of one of the Thai victims, Boonchuai Duangmanee, told The Associated Press.
His daughter, Jung-luk, worked at a factory in South Korea for several years, he told The Associated Press. She had returned to Thailand to visit her family before taking a flight from Bangkok to Muan International Airport.
“This morning I heard that a plane exploded in South Korea. But I never expected my daughter to be on this plane,” he said.
Another man who lost his daughter told Reuters he had not heard from her before the crash.
Jeong Jae-young, 71, said of his daughter Jeong Mi-sook, “She was almost always at home, so I didn’t feel the need to call her.”
“She was going to go home. I think at the last moment when she tried to reach out, the damage was already done and the plane probably crashed,” he said.
