Jeju Air Boeing 737-8AS plane crash
Muan, South Korea
Updated on
The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air took off from Bangkok, Thailand, for a passenger flight to Muan, South Korea. 175 passengers and 6 crewmembers were onboard. The plane landed at Muan’s airport with all gear up, overran the runway sliding on fuselage and engines, collided with the ILS localizer antenna array that was installed on a concrete platform about 300 meters (1000 feet) past the runway end. The aircraft disintegrated and burst into flames, while the tail separated near the beginning of the vertical stabilizer and remained relatively intact. Of the 181 occupants, two flight attendants seated in the tail section survived the accident. 179 people were killed.
As the Boeing 737-800 approached Muan Airport's Runway 01, the control tower issued a warning about bird activity in the area. Moments later, the flight crew declared an emergency, reporting a bird strike that prompted an immediate go-around. A situation then developed wherein the aircraft executed a 180-degree turn to attempt a landing on Runway 19, the opposite direction of its initial approach. With calm winds ensuring performance safety, this change in landing direction posed no immediate issues. However, the aircraft performed a gear-up landing, touching down approximately 1,200 meters (3,940 feet) along the 2,800-meter (9,184-foot) runway - more than one third down the runway. The Boeing 737 ultimately collided with a wall and an antenna array situated on a 2-meter-high concrete and dirt mound.
An observer on the ground reported the aircraft flying through a flock of birds, followed by two or three distinct pop sounds, likely indicating birds being ingested into the engines. Flames erupted from the right engine as the aircraft attempted to climb but appeared unable to gain sufficient altitude, forcing the opposite-direction emergency landing.
The Boeing model involved in the crash is a B737-800 that had 189 seats and had completed 2,136 flights over the past year. The aircraft was manufactured in 2009.
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This accident is the 10th worst plane crash since year 2000 in terms of the number of combined onboard and ground fatalities. Watch here the list of the worst aircraft crashes since year 2000.
