A collision with birds and bad weather are the probable causes of the crash in South Korea.
The crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-8AS on Sunday at Muan Airport in southwest South Korea was likely due to a collision with birds combined with adverse weather, the chief said firefighters.
“The cause of the accident is presumed to be a collision with birds combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation” said Lee Jeong-hyun, head of the Muan Fire Station, at a press briefing.
A video broadcast by local channel MBC shows the aircraft – a Boeing 737-8AS which entered service in 2009, according to the specialist site Flightradar – landing with smoke escaping from the engines. The plane hit a wall at the end of the runway and was immediately engulfed in flames.
Little chance of surviving
“Passengers were thrown from the plane when it collided with a barrier, leaving them with little chance of survival“said a local fire official during a meeting with the victims’ families.”The plane is almost completely destroyed and the identification of the deceased proves difficult“, he added.
Plane accidents are very rare in South Korea. The deadliest to have occurred in the country was the crash on a hill near Busan-Gimhae airport of an Air China Boeing 767 coming from Beijing, which left 129 dead on April 15, 2002.
South Korea Crash in South Korea air disaster
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