On Sunday, a passenger jet crashed into South Korea, killing dozens of people. According to officials, the aircraft, which was carrying 181 people, crashed on its belly, rolled off a runway, and caught fire, leaving two crew members as the only survivors.
This is the deadliest aviation accident to strike South Korea in almost 20 years.
What happened?
Just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday (7 p.m. ET on Saturday), Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members when the catastrophe occurred at the airport in Muan county, on the southwest tip of the country.
Several South Korean news sites carried footage of the disaster on Sunday, showing the jet sliding quickly on its belly before colliding with an earthen embankment and exploding in a flame.
The video, which was aired by networks like YTN, JTBC, and MBC, showed smoke pouring from the back of the sliding aircraft but did not show the front or rear landing gear.
The burning wreckage of the aircraft, identified on flight-tracking website FlightAware as a Boeing 737-800, was eventually put out by firefighters using water cannons.
According to the South Jeolla Fire Service, the victims include 84 men, 85 women, and 10 individuals whose gender was unknown. The rescue squad identified the two survivors as male and female crew members.
The South Korean Land Ministry said that two Thai nationals were among those on board. Every other traveller was from South Korea.
What led to the plane crash?
Gimpo International Airport was the departure point for Jeju Air Flight 7C101. Shortly after takeoff, it discovered a problem with its landing gear, according to industry sources quoted by the Korea Herald.
A Boeing 737-800, the same model used in the Muan airport tragedy, was the aircraft used in the return journey.
Given that the aircraft and carrier had a solid safety record and that the flight circumstances were great, the incident on Sunday is “very perplexing,” according to an aviation journalist.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of Airline News, told CNN that the Boeing 737-800 is one of the most popular aircraft in the world and that each one is utilised for roughly four or five flights per day.
He declared, “It is the most reliable aircraft in the world, and it’s been in service for 20 years. Everybody knows how it works. And it works well. And the maintenance done in (South) Korea is as good as it gets around the world.”
There is some uncertainty as to whether the undercarriage collapsed upon landing or if it was never deployed. Investigators will undoubtedly be paying close attention to this very serious matter.
He said “It is perplexing” that the crash happened, given it was landing under dry and sunny conditions at a good airport.
The chief executive of Jeju Air stated that before Sunday’s tragedy, the aircraft had displayed “no signs of issues.”
“At this time, it is difficult to determine the cause of the accident, and we have to wait for the official announcement of the investigation by the relevant government agency,” Kim Yi-bae said during a press briefing at the airport.
The catastrophe is a national tragedy for South Korea, which has been engulfed in a political crisis following the impeachment of both President Yoon Suk Yeol and his acting successor by parliament.
Choi Sang-mok, the acting president who was only appointed on Friday, went to the crash site on Sunday.
“I express my deepest condolences to the many victims in the incident. I will do all I can for the injured to quickly recover,” he declared.
Since the 1997 Korean Air disaster in Guam, which claimed more than 200 lives, this is the worst accident to ever affect a South Korean airline. Before Sunday, an Air China crash flight that claimed 129 lives was the deadliest on South Korean territory.
Founded in 2005, Jeju Air, one of the biggest low-cost airlines in South Korea, also experienced its first deadly crash at the Muan airport.
At a press conference on Sunday, Jeju Air executives apologized publicly while bowing profoundly. “We deeply apologise to all those affected by the incident.
We will make every effort to resolve the situation,” the firm said in a statement. The 737-800’s manufacturer, Boeing, has stated that it communicated with the airline.