World
South Korea Mourns After Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 Crashes
South Korea was grieving Monday from the deaths of 179 people when a Jeju Air plane crashed and burst into flames, with a team of US investigators joining local officials to investigate possible causes.
The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it crashed on arrival Sunday, killing everyone on board except two flight attendants rescued from the mangled wreckage of South Korea’s worst aviation catastrophe.
According to fire officials, a bird attack was most likely the cause of the disaster, which hurled passengers from the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed”.
The video showed Jeju Air, Boeing 737-800 Flight 2216, landing on its belly at Muan International Airport. It then slipped off the runway as smoke poured from the engines. The aircraft collided with a wall and erupted in flames.
On Sunday, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it would lead a team of investigators, including those from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to South Korea to investigate the Jeju Air disaster. The country has a strong track record in terms of air safety.
The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800’s black boxes, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were discovered.
Jeju Air Attendant Survies
According to Yonhap, one of the flight attendants who survived was awake in the hospital and able to talk late Sunday.
“When I woke up, I had already been rescued,” the 33-year-old informed physicians, according to the hospital. He suffered many fractures, while the other crew member, a 25-year-old woman, sustained ankle and head injuries, according to Yonhap.
Grieving family members gathered to await news inside the airport terminal late Sunday. Authorities said they were seeking to identify all victims.
The control tower warned of a bird hit minutes before the disaster, and the pilot quickly submitted a “mayday” distress call.
Officials refuted claims that the length of the runway may have played a role in the tragedy despite video footage showing the plane coming off the runway and hitting a wall.
According to a South Korean transport official, the plane attempted to land but was ordered to hold off after air traffic control issued a warning for a bird strike. This warning alerts pilots to the possibility of colliding with birds.
About two minutes later, the pilot issued a Mayday, and air traffic control approved the plane’s landing from the opposite direction, according to the official.
One video shows the jet landing without its wheels or other landing gear. It skidded down the runway, collided with a wall, and burst into flames.
More than 1,500 emergency workers, including 490 firefighters and 455 police officers, have been dispatched to assist with the recovery activities. They’ve been combing the area around the runway for plane components and passengers.
