Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 had departed from Bangkok and was making its landing at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea. After an initial failed landing attempt, the Boeing 737-800 plane received a bird strike warning from the ground control center. The pilot then issued a distress signal before the plane came down with its front landing gear closed, overshot the runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball.
Observers say videos of the crash showed the plane was suffering from suspected engine trouble, but the landing gear malfunction was likely the main reason for the crash.
South Korean Transport Ministry officials said Monday they will examine whether the fence the plane hit — which housed 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. They said they were also trying to establish whether there were any communication problems between air traffic controllers and the pilot.
Ministry officials said Monday the plane’s flight data and cockpit audio recorders were moved to a research center at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport ahead of their analysis. Ministry officials earlier said it would take months to complete the investigation of the crash.
Does the crash represent another setback for Boeing?
The crash wrapped up a troubling 2024 for U.S. aviation giant Boeing, which has grappled with safety problems, a machinists strike and plunging stock prices.
Experts say the 737-800 aircraft is a more proven model than the company’s much-maligned 737 Max jetliners, which were linked to fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Still, South Korean authorities said they'll conduct safety inspections on all of the 737-800s operated by domestic airlines, including 39 by Jeju Air.
Representatives from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board were to travel to Seoul to participate in the South Korean investigation.
On Monday, another Boeing 737-800 plane operated by Jeju Air returned to the Gimpo airport shortly after takeoff when the pilot detected a landing gear issue. Jeju Air said the issue was resolved through communication with a land-based equipment center but the pilot decided to return to Gimpo as a precautionary measure.
What do we know about the victims?
Only two people — both crew members — survived. They were rescued from the plane's tail section, the only part of the aircraft that remained relatively intact after the crash.
One of the survivors was treated for fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine. Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital who treated him, said the man told doctors he “woke up to find (himself) rescued.”
The passengers were predominantly South Korean, although they included two Thai nationals.
The Transport Ministry said Monday that authorities have identified 146 bodies and are collecting DNA and fingerprint samples from the other 33.
Park Han Shin, a representative of the bereaved families, said they were told that the bodies of their loved ones were so badly damaged that officials need time before returning them to their families. He called for the government to mobilize more personnel.
