Jeju Air crash: 176 dies, bird strike warning issued minutes before

KATHMANDU: A Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province on Sunday morning, killing 176 and leaving three missing, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport reported.

The accident occurred at approximately 9:03 a.m. when the Boeing 737-800 veered off the runway during landing and collided with a fence wall.

The ministry confirmed that the aircraft attempted to land without its landing gear deployed.

Timeline of Incident

The airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning at 8:57 a.m., just six minutes before the crash. At 8:59 a.m., the pilot declared a mayday and attempted to land at 9:00 a.m. The crash followed three minutes later.

“While the aircraft was approaching runway No. 1, the control tower issued a bird strike alert, and the pilot promptly declared an emergency,” a ministry spokesperson stated.

Officials revealed that the control tower authorized a landing in the opposite direction of the runway. Despite this adjustment, the aircraft overshot the runway and hit the wall.

Runway Length Not a Factor

The ministry dismissed claims that the accident was related to the shortened runway. While construction at Muan International Airport has temporarily reduced the runway length to 2,500 meters from its original 2,800 meters, officials stressed that the plane could land safely on runways as short as 1,500 meters.

“Other flights have landed at this airport without issue, even with the ongoing construction,” an official clarified.

Rising Bird Strike Incidents

The crash highlights a growing problem with bird strikes at South Korean airports. Muan International Airport has recorded 10 such incidents from 2019 to August 2023. Nationwide, bird strike cases have risen steadily, from 76 in 2020 to 152 in 2023, according to the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC).

Efforts to reduce bird strike risks, including acoustic deterrents, have been implemented, but incidents continue to rise.

Investigation Underway

The ministry dispatched its Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board to the crash site on Sunday afternoon. Investigators retrieved the flight data recorder and are working to secure the cockpit voice recorder. Determining the exact cause of the crash is expected to take months.

A Sad Milestone

This accident ranks as South Korea’s third-deadliest aviation disaster. The most fatal incident occurred in 1983 when a Soviet jet shot down a Korean Air flight, killing all 269 on board. The second was a 1997 crash in Guam involving another Korean Air plane, which claimed 225 lives.

Among the 181 on board Sunday’s flight, two crew members survived, while the search continues for three missing individuals.

(with the help of Yonhap)