In the early hours of Sunday, December 29, South Korea was hit by an unprecedented aircraft disaster.
Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, resulting in the death of 179 people, including children with only two survivors.
The flight was en route from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and carried 181 people, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members.
At 8:59 a.m. local time, the pilot issued a mayday call, reporting a bird strike after the control tower had warned of bird activity in the area just two minutes earlier.
The pilot aborted the initial landing attempt but was cleared for a second approach at 9:01 a.m.
Tragically, the aircraft belly-landed about the midpoint of the runway.
It skidded off the tarmac, crashed into a concrete wall, and erupted in flames.
Witnesses described the horrifying scene.
“There was a loud bang followed by several explosions,” a local worker told Yonhap News.
Video footage showed the aircraft ablaze, with smoke surging into the sky as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Among the 179 fatalities were 84 women, 82 men, and 11 students.
The youngest victim was a three-year-old boy, while the oldest was 78. Many were returning home from Christmas holidays in Thailand.
A grieving relative, Maeng Gi-Su, tearfully recounted losing his nephew and grandnephews. “I can’t believe the entire family has just disappeared,” he told BBC.
The Survivors
The survivors
Out of the 181 people onboard, only two individuals- a male and a female who were flight crew members, survived the crash.
They suffered moderate to severe injuries, but were conscious and could communicate well.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency revealed that one of the survivors, a 33-year old, had suffered multiple injuries, including fractured ribs and traumatic spinal injuries, according to the director of Ewha Woman’s University Seoul Hospital, Ju Woong.
“When I woke up, I had already been rescued,” he said.
Investigation Underway
Officials have launched an extensive probe into the incident, with South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) leading the investigation. Boeing and U.S. aviation authorities are also assisting in the investigation.
The two black boxes—containing flight and cockpit voice data—have been recovered, though one was reportedly damaged.
Yu Kyung-soo, Director of Aviation Safety Policy at MOLIT, noted potential factors, including the bird strike, bad weather, and a possible malfunction of the landing gear, which did not appear to deploy during the landing.
Some aviation experts have expressed skepticism about the bird strike being the sole cause. Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert and editor at Airline News, stated in interviews with Reuters and the BBC that bird strikes, while common, rarely cause catastrophic crashes.
He recounted that South Korea’s airlines were regarded as “industry best practice,” and the aircraft and the airline had an “excellent safety record.”
A lot of things about this tragedy don’t make sense, Thomas said.
He speculated that mechanical failures might have contributed, with the bird strike triggering the accident.
Similarly, Geoffrey Dell, an aviation safety expert, doubted that a bird strike alone could prevent the plane’s landing gear from deploying. He suggested the possibility of an undetected mechanical fault.
Doug Drury, an aviation professor at CQUniversity Australia, noted that turbofan engines like those on the Boeing 737-800 can be severely affected by bird strikes but stressed that pilots are trained to manage such risks.
At this point, there are a lot more questions than we have answers, Gregory Alegi, an aviation journalist and former teacher at Italy’s air force academy, said to Reuters.
“Why was the plane going so fast? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down?”
Jeju Air representatives also weighed in. Song Kyung-hoon, a Jeju Air executive, denied any prior maintenance issues with the aircraft in a statement to The Associated Press.
He added that earlier the same day, another Jeju Air flight had experienced a landing gear issue but returned safely as a precaution.
A passenger who witnessed the crash told local media that they had seen a bird stuck in the plane’s wing, which appeared to have caused the loss of control.
Meanwhile, Lee Jeong-hyun, Chief of the Muan Fire Department, stated in a televised briefing on Sunday at Muan International Airport, that both bad weather and the bird strike might have played a role in the accident.
Jeju Air’s CEO publicly apologized during the press briefing, bowing deeply before reporters.
“We are heartbroken and will fully cooperate with investigations to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
He also denied any history of safety lapses and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing, with support from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Boeing, and CFM International to analyze the plane’s black boxes.
Victims’ Family Reaction
Many of the grieving families of the victims gathered at Muan International Airport, camping out overnight, desperate for answers about what happened to their loved ones.
They demanded to see the remains of the deceased and formed a group led by Park Han-shin, who lost his brother in the crash.
“You need to clearly establish what went wrong, why it went wrong, and allocate appropriate compensation and procedures accordingly,” he said.
On behalf of the families, Park issued several demands, including that Jeju Air cover the costs of funeral services and set up a memorial for the victims inside the airport, a request that the airport agreed to.
He also called for additional freezer containers at the airport to preserve the bodies of the victims, as there was growing concern over the lack of storage.
National Mourning Declared
Acting President Choi Sang-mok declared a seven-day national mourning period on Monday.
New Year’s celebrations have also been canceled, and a joint memorial altar is being set up in Seoul.
Choi also promised systemic aviation safety reforms. “This tragedy must be a turning point for our aviation standards,” he said.
“We owe it to the victims and their families to prevent such incidents in the future.”
Timeline of the Crash:
Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, 2:00 AM (local time)
The Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air Flight 2216 leaves Bangkok, Thailand.
8:57 AM
Muan International Airport issues a bird activity warning.
8:59 AM
The pilot reports a bird strike, declares “mayday,” and initiates a go-around maneuver.
9:01 AM
Air traffic control clears the plane to land on Runway 19.
9:02 AM
The plane belly-lands on the runway at Muan International Airport, touching down about one-third of the way down the 2,800-meter runway. The aircraft slides, overshoots the runway, crashes into a wall, and erupts in flames.
9:23 AM
The first survivor, a cabin crew member, is rescued from the wreckage.
9:50 AM
The second survivor, another crew member, is rescued from the tail section of the aircraft.
Following the Crash
Rescue operations begin with over 1,500 emergency personnel on-site.
Officials confirm 179 dead.
