A major investigation was underway after 179 people were killed in South Korea on Monday. The deadliest plane crash Ever since a plane landed at Moan International Airport on Sunday before sliding through a wall and bursting into flames.
Questions remain about what caused Jeju Air Flight 2216 to crash and why the death toll was so high with only two survivors.
Hundreds of family members camped overnight at Muan County’s international airport, desperate for answers about what happened to their loved ones and demanding to be able to see their remains.
Here’s what we know so far about the fatal crash and the investigation into its cause:
what happened
According to flight tracking platform FlightAware, Jeju Air Flight 2216 took off from Bangkok at 2 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET Saturday).
At approximately 8:59 a.m. (6:59 p.m. ET Saturday), the pilot of the Boeing 737-800 issued a “bird strike” warning to report a collision between at least one bird and the plane, before announcing that the plane had crashed. of “May day,” Yoo Kyung-soo, director of aviation safety policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, or MOLIT, said at a briefing Monday.
“The aircraft then performed a go-around, and at 9:01 a.m., it was cleared to enter Runway 19,” Yu said. Just over a minute later, the plane touched the one-third point, or about 4,000 feet, of the runway, he said, but about a minute later, it veered off the runway and hit a wall.
The incident came minutes after the airport’s control tower issued a bird activity warning at 8:57 a.m., Yu added.
In a video captured of the crash, the plane can be seen belly-landing at Moan International Airport and skidding down the runway before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames. The video shows that some or all of the plane’s landing gear was not deployed.
South Korea’s National Fire Agency confirmed that 179 people died in the crash, making it the deadliest airline disaster of the year and Jeju Air’s first since the low-cost airline was founded in 2005. It was a fatal accident.
What caused the accident?
There is still no definitive answer as to what exactly caused the crash.
Officials said at a briefing that the NTSB is expected to send a U.S. investigative team to help with the investigation, which is continuing to consult with aircraft maker Boeing and CFM International, which is the U.S. and France have a joint venture that developed the plane’s engine, officials said at a briefing. On Monday
Two black boxes recovered from the plane – the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder – were moved to a test center on Monday morning.
Investigators are looking into whether a flock or a bird was responsible for the plane’s loss of control. The pilot reported the bird strike and the incident came minutes after the Moan International Airport control tower issued a bird activity warning.
Director of the aviation policy office at MOLIT, Jo Jong-wan, said at a briefing Monday that they are also looking into the fact that the plane’s azimuth, or localizer, hit the facility’s outer wall.
“The Azimuth facility cannot be installed arbitrarily; there are installation regulations, which we are currently reviewing,” Joe said.
What do we know about the victims?
A total of 181 passengers, including small children and crew members, were on board at the time of the accident.
Jo said most of the passengers were believed to be Korean, but at least two were Thai.
At least 84 women and 82 men were among the dead, officials said.
At least 11 elementary, middle and high school students were among the dead, South Korea’s education ministry said Monday. At least four were enrolled in elementary school, three in middle school, and four in high school.
“One victim has been identified as a preschool child born in 2021 and attends day care,” Education Ministry spokesperson Go Yoon-hee said.
Grieving relatives of those killed in the crash have gathered at the Moan airport demanding answers to what happened to their loved ones and to see their bodies.
The families have formed a group led by Park Han Shin, who lost his brother in the accident.
On Monday, Park issued several demands from the families, including that Jeju Air pay for the funeral expenses of those killed and that a memorial to the victims be set up inside the airport.
The Seoul city government said Monday it would set up a joint memorial altar for the victims and reduce or cancel year-end events during the national mourning period.
Park also said more freezer containers are needed at the airport to rescue accident victims. Lack of storage for bodies is a growing concern among bereaved families.
In the end, Park said families will want answers about what happened to their loved ones, as well as compensation for their loss.
“You need to clearly establish what went wrong, why it went wrong, and allocate appropriate compensation and procedures accordingly,” he said.
The survivors
Two people, a man and a woman, both members of the flight crew, survived Sunday’s crash. Joe said both suffered minor injuries, but were conscious.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency identified one of the survivors as a 33-year-old flight attendant who suffered multiple injuries, including broken ribs and traumatic spinal injuries, at Ewha Women’s University Seoul Hospital. According to Joe Wong, director of
“When I woke up, I was already rescued,” said the flight attendant, identified only by her last name Lee, according to Joe Wong. He was in intensive care but was able to communicate well.
“There are no symptoms of memory loss or anything like that yet,” said Joe Wong.
New security measures
Officials have already announced plans for new security measures.
MOLIT said on Monday that a special investigation of the Boeing B737-800 aircraft model would be launched.
The aircraft model is widely used by domestic low-cost carriers, with Jeju Air operating the largest number at 39 aircraft. Other operators include T’way Air, Jin Air, Eastar Jet, Air Incheon and Korean Air.
“We will review compliance with various regulations, including operational records, inspections, and pre- and post-flight maintenance,” Joe said.
He said that rules and regulations will also be reviewed to reduce bird strikes and such incidents.
“For new airport projects, we will carefully review bird strike issues and take additional measures with experts,” he added.