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.
“Last wishes”
Messages exchanged between a passenger and his child were widely reported in the local media. “Wait, a bird is stuck in the wing of the plane. Can’t land now. Should I share my last wishes?“, indicates the passenger’s last message, sent at 9:01 a.m.
At Muan airport, the families of the crash victims were welcomed on the first floor, waiting for news of their loved ones.
The black boxes have been found
The two black boxes of the airliner that crashed in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people on board, have been found, a government official announced.
“As for the black boxes, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have now been recovered” Vice Minister of Transport Joo Jong-wan said at a press briefing.
The new interim head of state, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, visited Muan in the afternoon and chaired an emergency government meeting. The tarmac at Muan airport will remain closed this week while investigators try to determine the cause of the accident, authorities said.
South Korea Crash in South Korea air disaster
