Almost 180 people lost their lives when a plane crashed while attempting to land in South Korea on the morning of Sunday, December 29.
The plane, en route from Bangkok, Thailand, was carrying 181 passengers, with 179 confirmed dead. Two crew members survived and were rescued from the wreckage.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, with fire officials speculating that a bird strike and adverse weather might have played a role. Experts, however, suggest that multiple factors could have contributed to the disaster.
Flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air, South Korea’s leading budget airline, had been authorized to land at Muan International Airport at 08:54 (23:54 GMT). Just three minutes later, air traffic control warned of bird activity in the vicinity.
At 08:59, the pilot reported a bird strike, declaring “mayday mayday mayday” and requesting to go around. The plane then aborted its landing and sought permission to approach from the opposite direction.
At 09:01, air traffic control cleared the alternative landing. Just a minute later, the plane touched down approximately halfway along the 2,800-meter runway. One video appears to show the aircraft landing without its wheels or any landing gear, skidding off the runway, crashing into a wall, and igniting.
A witness reported hearing a loud explosion followed by a series of blasts. Videos from the scene depict the plane engulfed in flames with thick smoke rising into the sky. Firefighters later extinguished the fire.
The first survivor was rescued around 09:23, with the second found in the plane’s tail section at 09:50.
Muan fire chief Lee Jeong-hyun stated that the crash could have been caused by both a bird strike and bad weather, though the precise cause is still under investigation. Flight and voice recorders were recovered, but the former was reportedly damaged. Investigators said decoding the black boxes could take up to a month.
A passenger texted a relative, claiming a bird had been “stuck in the wing” and preventing the plane from landing, but officials have yet to confirm the bird strike.
Jeju Air’s management insisted the crash was not due to maintenance issues. The South Korean transport department noted that the head pilot had over 6,800 hours of flying experience and had been in the role since 2019.
Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas emphasized that South Korea’s airlines are known for their safety standards, and he expressed doubts that a bird strike alone could have caused the crash, stating that while bird strikes are frequent, they rarely lead to crashes on their own.
The flight was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, including two Thai nationals. Many passengers were reportedly returning from a Christmas holiday in Thailand. The official death toll stands at 179, marking the deadliest plane crash in South Korean history.
Two members of the flight crew survived, and the male crew member is reported to be awake and fully communicative.
Over 1,500 emergency personnel, including 490 fire officers and 455 police, are involved in the recovery efforts, searching for plane debris and victims around the runway.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline sector. Muan has been declared a special disaster zone, allowing the central government to provide funding for recovery.
All flights at Muan International Airport have been canceled. The country has also declared a seven-day mourning period, and New Year’s celebrations are expected to be scaled down or canceled.
Boeing has expressed its support for Jeju Air in dealing with the aftermath.
Bird strikes, though common, are rarely severe enough to down a plane. However, aviation experts remain cautious about attributing the crash solely to a bird strike, with some pointing to other potential contributing factors like issues with the landing gear.
