UPDATE !
On Sunday morning, a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to Muan International Airport in South Korea tragically crashed during landing, resulting in the loss of 179 lives out of the 181 individuals on board. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, reportedly skidded off the runway and collided with a wall before erupting into flames.
Preliminary investigations suggest that a bird strike, coupled with adverse weather conditions, may have contributed to the accident. According to a South Korean transport official, the plane was initially advised to delay landing due to a bird strike warning. Shortly thereafter, the pilot issued a Mayday call and was directed to approach from the opposite direction. Eyewitness accounts and video footage indicate that the aircraft attempted to land without deploying its landing gear, leading to the catastrophic sequence of events.
Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of the Muan fire department, noted that while the tail section remained identifiable, the rest of the plane was unrecognisable due to the extensive damage. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered; however, there are reports that the flight data recorder sustained damage. Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.
This incident marks one of the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korea’s history, prompting nationwide mourning and raising concerns about flight safety protocols. Jeju Air, the country’s leading budget airline, has pledged full cooperation with the investigation and extended condolences to the victims’ families. The South Korean government has also vowed to enhance safety measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
As the investigation unfolds, experts caution against drawing premature conclusions, emphasizing the need to consider multiple factors that could have led to the crash. The aviation community awaits detailed findings to understand the interplay between potential bird strikes, weather conditions, and other variables in this devastating event.