At least 177 people killed in South Korea plane crash as experts question bird strike theory as cause of tragedy
29 December 2024, 11:34 | Updated: 29 December 2024, 16:36
At least 177 people have died after a Jeju Air passenger crash landed before skidding and crashing into a concrete wall in South Korea.
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The crash was presumed to have been caused by the planes engine striking birds, but several aviation experts have questioned this theory.
The plane had no landing gear deployed, a detail which has been questioned by experts.
Geoffrey Dell, Australian airline safety expert, told Reuters: “I’ve never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended.”
Trevor Jensen, an Australian aviation consultant, explained that emergency services are typically prepared for "belly landings".
Witnesses who spoke to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said they heard loud explosions and saw sparks while the plane was still in the air.
What caused the South Korea plane crash? | Experts question bird strike theory
One witness said he saw "black smoke billowing into the sky" after hearing a "loud explosion".
Another said: “I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light.
"Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions."
One of the bereaved family members who had gathered at the airport stood at a microphone to ask for more information from rescue crews.
“'My older brother died and I don't know what's going on,' he said. 'I don't know.'
One of only two confirmed survivors of this morning’s devastating plane crash said he saw smoke coming out of the engine after a bird collision.
The two, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail of the plane and taken to hospital after sustaining mid to severe injuries.
One of the survivors told rescuers that they saw smoke coming out of the engine before it exploded.
The crew member said: “Smoke came out from one side of the engine and then it exploded. [The cause of the accident] is presumed to be a bird collision.”
Heartbreaking last words of a passenger that died in the crash also suggest there was a collision with birds.
The passenger texted a relative to tell them a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane. Their last message was: “Should I say my last words?”
Family members are being assisted by members of the Red Cross, who are handing out blankets to bereaved relatives.
At least 177 people - 84 women, 82 men and 11 others whose genders were not immediately identifiable - died in the fire, the fire agency said.
The death toll is expected to rise further as the rest of those on board the plane remain missing about six hours after the incident.
The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that was returning from Bangkok and that the crash happened at 9.03am local time.
The fire agency deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the blaze. About 1,560 firefighters, police officers, soldiers and other officials were also sent to the site, it said.
Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility.
Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage.
He said workers are looking into various possibilities for the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds.
Transport ministry officials later said their early assessment of communication records show the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area.
The pilot sent out a distress signal shortly before the plane went past the runway and skidded across a buffer zone before hitting the wall, the officials said.
Senior transport ministry official Joo Jong-wan said workers have retrieved the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which will be examined by government experts, and that the runway at Muan airport will be closed until January 1.
Emergency officials in Muan said the plane's landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
The transport ministry said the plane's passengers included two Thai nationals.
In a post on social platform X, Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected by the accident. She said she had ordered the foreign affairs ministry to provide assistance immediately.
Kerati Kijmanawat, director of the Airports of Thailand, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 had taken off from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of abnormal conditions with the aircraft or on the runway.
Jeju Air issued a statement expressing its "deep apology" over the crash and said it will do its "utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident".
In a televised news conference, the airline's chief executive, Kim E-bae, gave a deep bow with other senior company officials as he apologised to bereaved families and said he feels "full responsibility" for the incident.
He said the company had not identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular checks and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
Boeing said in a statement on X that it is in contact with Jeju Air and ready to support the company in dealing with the crash.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew," it said.
It is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea's aviation history.
