 "South Korean airplane crash: Why bird strike theory behind mishap that killed 179 is being questioned")
“I can’t believe my entire family has disappeared. My heart aches so much.”
“My younger sister went to heaven today.”
The stench of gasoline and a pall of gloom hangs over Muan International Airport — the South Korean site where a Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crashed on Sunday morning (December 29), killing 179 of the 181 people on board.
The crash — now being dubbed as South Korea’s worst since 1997 — has prompted the Asian country’s acting President Choi Sang-mok to order an emergency safety inspection of the entire airline operation system even as investigators work to identify victims and find what caused the deadly air disaster.
The United States has also announced that it is sending a team of investigators to South Korea to help determine what caused the Jeju Air plane to crash.
Here’s what we know so far about the crash.
What happened to Jeju Air plane?
Disaster struck on Sunday morning on Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok. The low-cost carrier was carrying 175 passengers and six crew when disaster struck at the airport in Muan county, on the country’s southwestern tip.
Visuals showed that around 9 am local time, the plane skidded off the runway and slammed into a concrete barrier, causing a massive fire. One video footage from Muan airport shows the plane touching down without using its wheels or any other landing gear. It skidded down the runway and crashed into a wall before erupting into flames.
⚡️DRAMATIC moment South Korean plane with reported 180+ passengers becomes a fireball and crashes at airport CAUGHT on cam pic.twitter.com/VdrdavEXgT
— RT (@RT_com) December 29, 2024
A witness told the South Korean news agency Yonhap that they heard a “loud bang” followed by a “series of explosions”.
Soon after, firefighters rushed to the spot, using water cannons to extinguish the blazing wreckage of the aircraft. Several parts of the aircraft were seen strewn across the runway.
Authorities said that of the 181 people on board, all but two had died, with the youngest casualty being a three-year-old.
The two who survived — flight attendants aged 25 and 33 — were rescued from the back of the plane during the initial search, according to South Korea’s Yonhap.
Was a bird strike to blame for the air crash?
As authorities began carrying out investigations, officials pointed to a bird strike as being the reason for the accident.
Lee Jeong-hyun, the chief of the Muan Fire Department, said that a bird strike and bad weather may have caused the crash. However, the exact cause is still being investigated. The flight and voice recorders from the plane have been recovered, though Yonhap news agency reported that the former was damaged.
Later, in a briefing, South Korea’s ministry of land, infrastructure and transport reported that the control tower had warned of birds in the area just before the plane landed. The pilot then sent out a “mayday” signal and made one attempt to land. On the second attempt, the plane landed on its belly and skidded before hitting a barrier and going up in flames.
“It is presumed to have been a bird strike. Smoke came out of one of the engines and then it exploded,” a surviving crew member said in a witness report, Yonhap reported.
A bird strike, really?
However, not everyone agrees that a bird strike caused the Sunday tragedy. Aviation experts said more evidence is needed before a bird strike can be definitively called the reason for the crash.
Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert and editor of Airline News, told the BBC that South Korea and its airlines were considered “industry best practice” and that both the aircraft and the airline have an “excellent safety record”. He added: “A lot of things about this tragedy don’t make sense.”
Other experts also questioned if a bird strike was to blame for the downing of the Jeju Air plane. Geoffrey Dell, an Australian airline safety expert, told Reuters: “I’ve never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended.”
Trevor Jensen, an Australian aviation consultant, also explained to Reuters that emergency services are typically prepared for a belly landing, making this crash appear more unexpected.
Gregory Alegi, an aviation expert and former teacher at Italy’s air force academy, was quoted as saying, “At this point, there are a lot more questions than we have answers. Why was the plane going so fast? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down?”
What does South Korea’s government say about the crash?
Following the crash, acting President Choi Sang-mok declared the site a special disaster zone and vowed a full investigation into what caused the deadly disaster. “We will concentrate all resources on recovery and support for the victims. All necessary resources are being mobilised, and a special disaster zone has been declared,” Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
He also extended his “heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families” and pledged to make every effort to manage the aftermath of the incident and prevent similar accidents in the future.
Meanwhile, all flights to and from Muan International Airport have been cancelled.
What has Jeju Air said?
The chief executive of Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s most popular airlines, apologised for the Sunday crash, bowing deeply before the nation. “Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO,” said Kim E-bae.
In a formal statement shared on social media, Kim extended condolences to the victims and their families: “We would like to express our deepest condolences and apology to the passengers and bereaved families who lost their lives in the accident. Jeju Air will make every effort to resolve the accident quickly and provide support to the passengers’ families.”
He added that the airline was cooperating with authorities to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Additionally, the plane manufacturer Boeing has offered condolences to those affected. “We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said in a short statement posted to its X account.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” the company added.
What about the families of the victims?
Families of the victims were inconsolable after the crash with grief quickly giving way to anger. Cries and screams rang out through the Muan International Airport as officials read victims’ names out loud.
A father of one of the victims, Boonchuay Duangmanee, told the Associated Press he “never thought that this would be the last time we would see each other forever.” His daughter, Jongluk, had been working in a factory in South Korea for several years, he told the AP. She had been back in Thailand visiting family before departing on the flight from Bangkok to Muan International Airport. s“I heard that the plane exploded in Korea this morning. But I did not expect at all that my daughter would be on this flight,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
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