This is what is known about the accident of a Boeing of the low-cost company Jeju Air. With only two survivors of the 181 people on board, it is the deadliest plane crash in South Korean history.
What happened?
Jeju Air Flight 2216, from Bangkok and with 181 people on board, crashed upon landing at Muan airport, about 290 kilometers south of the capital, Seoul, at 9:03 a.m. (00:03 GMT), according to the Ministry. of Territories.
It had issued a distress message after a first landing attempt, during which the control tower warned the crew that the aircraft had been hit by birds.
A video broadcast by the South Korean channel MBC shows the plane landing with smoke coming from its engines, apparently without landing gear. The plane skids off the runway and is engulfed in flames.
How many people were on the plane?
There were 175 passengers on the plane, including two Thais, and six crew members. Of the 181 people who were on board, so far there are two survivors and 177 confirmed deaths.
According to the specialized website Flightradar, the plane, a Boeing 737-8AS, had entered service in 2009.
How are rescue operations progressing? –
Emergency services deployed dozens of vehicles to the scene. Images broadcast by local television show the entire plane burned, except for the tail, and bodies wrapped in blue shrouds that were evacuated on stretchers.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, chaired an emergency government meeting and visited the scene late in the day.
What is the cause of the accident?
“The cause of the accident is presumed to have been a strike with a bird, combined with adverse weather conditions,” said Muan fire chief Lee Jeong-hyun. “However, the exact cause will be announced after a joint investigation,” he added.
The first information from the South Korean Yonhap agency indicated a “landing gear failure.” According to the same source, the plane landed without deploying its landing gear and burst into flames when it collided with a fence at the end of the runway.
What are the dangers of bird strikes?
Bird strikes can cause significant damage to the engine or windshield, and are the cause of many airplane accidents. In most cases, this type of collision occurs during takeoff or landing, when the engines are at full capacity.
One of the most famous cases occurred in 2009, when the pilot of a US Airways Airbus A320 with 155 occupants managed to land in the Hudson River in New York after such a collision.
Other plane accidents
This is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, founded in 2005. On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 from its fleet carrying 74 people skidded off the runway at Busan-Gimhae airport (southeast). , leaving a dozen minor injuries.
Before this tragedy, the most serious air accident that occurred in South Korea was that of an Air China Boeing 767 from Beijing, which crashed into a hill near the Busan-Gimhae airport, leaving 129 dead.
Source: Ambito
