South Korea plane crash: Jeju Air cuts flights to ‘repair trust’ as outrage grows over airport wall
Jeju Air’s passenger plane smashed into a concrete wall after an emergency landing at Muan international airport in South Korea
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeju Air's chief executive said the airline will reduce its winter air traffic by up to 15 per cent and aim to secure trust following the death of 179 people in the plane crash.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when the Boeing 737-800 belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport on Sunday, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into an embankment.
South Korean officials were joined by a US probe team and officials from Boeing as they ramped up the investigation on Tuesday into the cause of its deadliest domestic air accident as police scrambled to identify victims.
Officials have also faced pointed questions about design features at the airport, particularly a large dirt-and-concrete embankment near the end of the runway used to support navigation equipment.
Experts said it seemed unlikely a bird strike would have been the sole cause of the landing gear malfunctioning.
Meanwhile, families of the victims have been camping out at the airport as they demand answers.
South Korea plane crash: Everything we know about country’s worst domestic air disaster
Distraught families want answers after 179 people die in South Korea’s deadliest domestic air disaster
Family members of South Korea plane crash victims call for help recovering loved ones
Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crash
Jeju Air CEO bows in apology after South Korea deadly plane crash
Jeju Air’s CEO bowed in apology after one of his airline’s passenger planes crashed and burst into flames at an airport in South Korea.
At a news conference in Gimpo, Kim E-bae issued a “sincere apology and condolences to those who have lost their lives in the accident and their families.”
Jeju Air CEO bows in apology after South Korea deadly plane crash
Jeju Air’s CEO bowed in apology after one of his airline’s passenger planes crashed and burst into flames at an airport in South Korea, on Sunday, 29 December. At least 177 people have been declared dead after the Boeing 737-800 plane skidded off the runway at Muan airport. Two surviving crew members have been rescued. At a news conference in Gimpo, Kim E-bae issued a “sincere apology and condolences to those who have lost their lives in the accident and their families.” The crash was one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history.
Families camp out at airport demanding answers
Aid materials are arriving in the area set up for family members arriving at the airport to identify the victims.
They have set up rows of booths handing out ramen, water, fruits and tissues, according to the BBC.
The crash killed mostly local residents who were returning from holidays in Thailand, while two Thai nationals also died.
“I can only accept it, make peace with it,” said Boonchuay Duangmanee, 77, the father of one of the Thai victims. “When I think about it, I remind myself that it was an accident. It’s something that can happen to anyone. So, we’ve come to terms with it because no matter what I do, my daughter won’t come back.”
On Monday morning, investigators were trying to identify some of the more than two dozen remaining victims, as anguished families waited inside the Muan airport terminal.
Park Han-shin, who lost his brother in the crash, said he was told by authorities that his brother had been identified but has not been able to see his body.
Park called on other victims’ families to unite in responding to the disaster and recovery efforts, citing a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people. Many relatives of the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster complained it took authorities too long to identify those killed and the cause of that accident.
South Korea plans to inspect Boeing 737-800 jetliners
South Korea’s transport ministry today said the government plans to conduct safety inspections on all Boeing 737-800 jetliners operated by the country’s airlines.
The Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korea’s budget airline Jeju Air skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport in the country’s south, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball yesterday. The incident killed all but two of the 181 people aboard.
Acting president Choi Sang Mok presided over a task force meeting on the crash and instructed the Transport Ministry and police to launch investigations into its cause. He also ordered the ministry to implement an emergency review of the country’s overall aircraft operation systems.
Another Jeju Air flight faces similar landing gear issue - report
A Jeju Air aircraft that departed from Gimpo Airport in Seoul for Jeju today experienced an unidentified landing-gear issue after take-off and returned to Gimpo, Yonhap news agency reported.
The aircraft landed safely at the Gimpo airport, it added.
The airline informed its 161 passengers on board about the mechanical defect caused by the landing gear issue and subsequently returned the flight around 7.25am (local time).
This comes a day after a Jeju Air flight crashed at the Muan international airport yesterday, killing all 175 passengers along with four crew members
In pics: Rescuers comb Jeju Air plane crash site on Monday
Thai family grieves daughter’s death in crash: ‘My daughter won’t come back’
A family in northeastern Thailand are mourning the loss of Jongluk Duangmanee, one of two Thai nationals of the Jeju Air crash, and wish to bring her body home for a religious ceremony.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when the Boeing 737-800 crash-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at South Korea’s Muan International Airport yesterday.
Boonchuay Duangmanee, 77, said he must come to terms with his 45-year-old daughter’s sudden death.“I can only accept it, make peace with it,” he told state broadcaster Thai PBS.
“No matter what I do, my daughter won’t come back.”He had felt a “sense of unease” when neighbours told him of the Jeju Air crash, he added, as his daughter often travelled with the airline.
Jongluk, the third youngest in the family, had been working in South Korea for seven years and would visit her home in Udon Thani, about 500km north of the Thai capital, every year.
Investigators to probe materials of concrete fence
New acting president Choi Sang-mok on Monday presided over a task force meeting on the crash and instructed authorities to conduct an emergency review of the country’s aircraft operation systems.
“The essence of a responsible response would be renovating the aviation safety systems on the whole to prevent recurrences of similar incidents and building a safer Republic of South Korea,” said Mr Choi, who is also deputy prime minister and finance minister.
Ministry officials said they will look into whether a concrete fence at Muan Airport housing a set of antennas designed to guide aircraft safely during landings should have been made with lighter materials that would break more easily upon impact.
Video of the crash indicated that the pilots did not deploy flaps or slats to slow the aircraft, suggesting a possible hydraulic failure, and did not manually lower the landing gear, suggesting they did not have time, said John Cox, a retired airline pilot and chief executive of Safety Operating Systems in St Petersburg, Florida.
Despite that, the jet was under control and travelling in a straight line, and damage and injuries likely would have been minimised if not for the barrier being so close to the runway, Mr Cox said.
Concerns raised over quick 28-minute safety check before fatal flight
The Korea Times reports that the doomed B737 flew four countries in a day, the month before the crash with tight one-hour turnarounds allowing just 28 minutes for safety checks.
One veteran mechanic with over a decade of experience working with B737s told Korea Times: “The 28-minute maintenance time is barely enough to check for cockpit warning lights and visually inspect the exterior for obvious damage. It’s essentially a walkthrough, not a detailed inspection.”
The aircraft involved in the crash was purchased by Jeju Air in 2017 but had previously been operated by Ryanair.
Alarmingly, just one day after the crash, another Jeju Air B737 experienced a landing gear issue and was forced to return to the airport immediately after takeoff.
Jeju Air reassure Thai victims they will be responsible for damages
Thai Ambassador to South Korea Tanee Sangrat expressed condolences to the families and said JeJu Air officials had told them the airline will be responsible for costs of tragedy.
“The Embassy has reported the tragedy to the Foreign Minister and (the Thai) MFA and coordinated closely with (the) Korean authorities concerned. Our Consular Department has informed families of the two Thai victims,” he said.
“Our Embassy has also worked closely with Jeju Air officials who reassured us that they would be responsible for the related costs of damages of the victims.
“Today the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul and Team Thailand offices have lowered the flag for seven days in mourning for the victims. We will continue to work with all local authorities and provide assistance to victims and their families.”
What is a bird strike?
A bird strike is a collision between a plane in flight and a bird. In the UK there were more than 1,400 bird strikes reported in 2022, but only about 100 affected the plane.
The miraculous Hudson River landing was needed after the airbus collided with a flock of geese. All 155 passengers and crew survived.
But some aviation experts are sceptical about whether a bird strike could have caused the crash at Muan Airport.
“Typically they [bird strike] don’t cause the loss of an airplane by themselves,” Mr Thomas told Reuters.
Australian airline safety expert Geoffrey Dell also told the news agency: “I’ve never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended.”
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