On December 29, 2024, Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed into a concrete barrier on the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The flight carried 181 passengers including crew members. 179 out of the 181 passengers died from the crash while only two survived.
The definite cause of the plane crash is unknown but investigators are concluding that a bird strike might have caused a technical error with the engine. The plane left Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand and was making its way to Muan International Airport when crew members received a warning about a bird strike nearing the end of the flight.
The investigation team concluded that bird feathers were found in one of the plane’s engines, possibly endangering the functions of the engine. The flight needed to make an emergency landing, and when attempting to do so, the landing gear did not deploy. With no wheels to slide onto the runway, Jeju Air Flight 2216 slid on its belly at alarming speeds until crashing into concrete berms at the end of the runway. It still remains a mystery how the landing gear failed to deploy as bird strikes usually have no effect on landing gear.
Additionally, commercial planes like Jeju Air Flight 2216 are all equipped with Cockpit Voice Recorders and Flight Data Recorders. The Cockpit Voice Recorder helps understand what was happening in the cockpit moments before the crash and Flight Data Recorders help investigators identify factors such as altitude and airspeed. The recorders from Jeju Air Flight 2216 were taken in for investigation, but they have been damaged and are yet to be decoded.
The two survivors of the crash were seated at the back of the plane. Most of the body of the plane was destroyed on impact, but the tail end of the plane was intact enough for two crew members to survive with no life threatening injuries. The survivors were rushed to the hospital and after receiving treatment, they both claimed to have a vague memory of the incident.
Moreover, Christian Beckert, an experienced pilot, notes that, “Normally, on an airport with a runway at the end, you don’t have a wall…You more often have maybe an engineered material arresting system, which lets the airplane sink into the ground a little bit.” Many are criticizing the layout of the airport, arguing that the crash could have been prevented if the plane was allowed to skid further to eventually come to a complete stop. Kim Kwang-il, an aeronautical science professor claimed that the concrete berm in which the plane crashed into violated the standards for a runway because it counted as an obstruction.
The location of the two survivors posed questions about plane safety to the public, leading many to think that the safest seat is near the back of a plane. That is not always the case though, as Air Safety Investigator Gregory Feith puts it: “The safest seats are near exits over the wings or close to the front or rear exits… Knowing your position in relation to the closest exit is your best bet.” Plane crashes aren’t common but it is hard to determine the situation of the crash. Since planes can crash in any orientation, the assumption that the safest seat on a plane is at the back is not always true.
South Korea has a steady record for airline safety but after the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the public has grown more cautious of airline safety. The last major plane crash in South Korea was over two decades ago in 1997 with Korean Air Flight 801. “Excluding the [1997 accident], this would be the biggest plane accident with the biggest number of casualties,” states BBC Korean Service newscaster Yuna Ku.
On January 7th during a press conference, South Korea’s transport minister, Park Sang-woo, announced that he would find the appropriate time to resign after the investigation is fully concluded. “As a minister who is responsible for Aviation safety, I feel heavily responsible for this disaster,” Park remarked.
Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s acting president, announced a seven day mourning period for the country on the day of the crash. As a result, many award shows and festivals were cancelled in respect to the mourning period.
Airlines are making permanent changes in hopes of never having an accident like Jeju Air Flight 2216 again. Structures of runways, air safety, and conducting routine checks on the reliability of their aircrafts are at the top of the list of concerns for airlines. The crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 will go down in history as one of the worst aviation disasters for South Korea.
