The accident of a Jeju Air plane from Bangkok carrying 181 people, including passengers and crew, when trying to land at Muan International Airport, leaves a final balance of 179 fatalities, and only two survivors. The identity of the deceased is unknown at the moment, but it has emerged that, of the 175 passengers on board, 173 were Korean citizens and two were Thai. And it would be the first major casualty incident involving a low-cost airline in the country’s history.
Although until now the authorities have not detailed the details of the event or the causes, the first hypotheses suggest that a flock of birds crossed the path of the plane, causing failures in the landing gear.
Emergency work on the runway
The images that have gone around the world show the Boeing 737-800 attempting to land on its belly, skidding down the runway before colliding with the airport perimeter wall, breaking into two parts in the front and rear sections and bursting into flames. And 32 fire trucks and several helicopters were used to contain the fire. Also Some 1,560 troops were sent to the scene of the accidentamong firefighters, police, soldiers and other officials.
The identity of the victims
Witnesses to the Muan airport accident have told the media that “bodies were scattered around the airport.” And the firefighters have indicated that the two survivors are from the crewa man and woman rescued from the tail section who are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. The authorities have also detailed that The youngest passenger was a three-year-old child and the oldest was a 78-year-old person.. Additionally, five of the dead were children under 10 years old.
Relatives of the victims at Muan Airport
A flock of birds, the main hypothesis
Major South Korean newspapers report that witnesses to the event reported hearing loud “bang” noises before the plane hit the wall. AND Local broadcaster MBC aired a video that appears to show the collision with a bird as the plane was descending. Authorities have also said that weather conditions may have played a role in the accident.
«After the plane hit the wall, the passengers were thrown from the plane. The chances of survival are extremely low,” an official told the media. And one of South Korea’s leading newspapers, Chosun Ilbo, reports that Muan International Airport issued a bird strike warning just before the plane attempted to land. ORn minute later the pilot declared ‘Mayday’ after the collision with the birds, as confirmed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
According to the Jeonnam Fire Department, one of the crew members of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, who was rescued at the crash site, said: “It is believed to have been a bird strike.”
In this sense, it is worth noting that Chosun Ilbo has reported that “bird strike” incidence rate at Muan Airport is the highest among 14 local airports of the area. And the airport was practicing the regular Muan-Bangkok international route for the first time in 17 years, and this accident has occurred after 21 days operational.
Marco Chansenior lecturer in aviation operations at Buckinghamshire New University, has told British media that evidence suggests that the plane had encountered a flock of birds and this could have caused a failure in the hydraulic system, which could explain the impossibility of deploying the landing gear.” He also explained that The short period of time between the collision with the birds and the moment of landing may have limited the crew’s ability to solve the problem. effectively.
“A simple collision with a bird? A disaster that would not have happened on a normal plane”
Professor Lee Kwan-jung of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Seoul National University told Chosun Ilbo that there are many functions of the landing gear that help a plane land. It is very important for the safety of aircraft operations, to absorb impacts and decelerate, and also plays a role in steering control. “If the landing gear does not come out properly, it can cause a serious accident, so extensive maintenance is necessary,” he said.
And although a collision with a bird has been pointed out as a possible cause of the accident, Professor Lee has also indicated that It is unlikely that the landing failed due to a bird strike alone.. “The landing gear can be deployed, but it is surprising that it did not work.” And he adds that it is rare for a landing to fail due to an engine problem caused by a bird strike.
Witnesses and messages from passengers
A testimony that coincides with what was shown by News 1 that has spoken of the messages sent by passengers through the Kakao Talk messaging application. Among them, it has been indicated that a passenger on the plane sent a text message to his family around 9 a.m. saying: “We can’t land because a bird is stuck on our wing.” And when the recipient of the messages asked him: “When did you see that?”, he replied: “Right now.” Finally the passenger indicated: “Should I make a will?”, and contact was cut off.
«We can’t land because a bird is trapped in our wing…Should I make a will?»
Last message from one of the passengers of the crashed plane
Likewise, the Mr. Jeong, 50, who was fishing on the beach near Muan Airport This morning, he told Yonhap News: “The plane involved in the accident collided head-on with a flock of birds flying in the opposite direction while descending to land on the runway.” He added: “It appears that some of the birds were sucked into the engine.” “I heard two or three ‘popping’ sounds and flames were visible in the right engine,” he said. Mr. Jeong said the plane climbed again but could not go any higher.
South Korean media have also reported the statements of the relatives of the deceased. One of them is a woman who had been diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer last fall and underwent surgery. After fighting the disease for a year she was declared completely cured last November. He went on a trip to commemorate his recovery. Her son said: “My mother was very thin while receiving cancer treatment and that image continues to linger in my mind.” While other relatives lament saying: “Where have you gone, my baby?”
The pilots’ curriculum
About the two pilots who operated the accident aircraft are known to have had 6,823 hours of flight experience for the captain and 1,650 hours of flight experience for the first officer. The captain assumed his current position in March 2019, and the first officer in February last year.
The company apologizes
He acting president of South Korea, Choi Sang-mokwhich has traveled to the scene of the accident, has ordered that “all available material and personnel” be mobilized for rescue operations at the airport. “No word of consolation will be enough for the families who have suffered such a tragedy,” he declared.
Likewise, in a press conference the CEO of the airlineKim E-bae, took a deep bow along with other senior company officials to apologize to the grieving families. And he noted that he feels “fully responsible” for what happened. In addition, he clarified that the company had not identified any mechanical problem with the aircraft after the usual checks and that it was awaiting the results of the investigations into the cause of the incident. And the financial authorities have pointed out that “Jeju Air’s compensation limit is about 1.5 trillion won…and who support prompt payment.”
If confirmed the death toll could be one of South Korea’s worst domestic civil aviation accidents. It would be the first fatal accident on a Korean national airliner since 2013. The deadliest had taken place in 1997, when a Korean Air plane crashed in Guam, killing 200 people.
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