Investigators probing South Korea's worst air disaster have focused on bird strikes and landing gear failure, killing 179 people.
Points of attention
- Investigators are probing a plane crash in South Korea and are focusing on two possible causes: a bird strike and landing gear failure.
- The country's government launched a massive inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft following the crash, as well as a landing gear incident the same day.
- Despite the experienced pilot and the low probability of the length of the runway as the cause of the accident, investigators are considering various possibilities, including a bird strike.
- The Jeju Air plane crash was the deadliest in South Korean history, with only two survivors out of 181 people on board.
- South Korea has declared seven days of mourning over the tragedy, with flags at government institutions flying at half-mast.
Investigators reveal two causes of plane crash in South Korea
The plane was reportedly almost completely destroyed by the explosion, but investigators have already recovered two flight recorders. One of them is damaged, so it will take additional time to read the data.
The South Korean government has announced the start of a major inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft in service in the country. The decision was made not only in light of the crash, but also because of another incident involving the same model on the same day, when a problem with the landing gear was discovered. There were no injuries then.
BREAKING: Video shows crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea. 181 people on board pic.twitter.com/9rQUC0Yxt8
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 29, 2024
Investigators will check:
whether the crew followed safety instructions,
how the airport provided protection against bird strikes,
whether the aircraft's power system was disconnected before the accident,
Could the localizer that controls the plane's landing have caused the tragedy?
The pilot of the plane, considered an experienced captain with nearly 7,000 hours of flight time, raised the alarm after being warned by controllers about a possible bird strike. During the first landing attempt, he decided to go around and began a second attempt after receiving clearance from the control room.
Officials believe it is unlikely that the length of the runway could have been a cause of the accident.
Experts say bird strikes are rarely fatal because planes can continue flying on one engine. However, it remains unclear why the landing gear did not deploy and whether it was related to the bird strike.
Passenger plane crash becomes deadliest air disaster in South Korea
As the publication notes, the disaster occurred at around 9:07 local time.
By evening, rescuers had recovered the bodies of all the victims. Of the 181 people on board Jeju Air flight 7C2216, only two passengers survived.
There were 175 passengers, 4 crew members and 2 pilots on board the plane.
The tragedy was the deadliest air disaster in South Korea's history, surpassing the previous deadliest disaster, the 1993 Asiana Haenam incident, which killed 66 people.
South Korea has declared seven days of mourning for the plane crash. Flags at government offices will be flown at half-mast and civil servants will wear black armbands.
