Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash at Muan airport: A tragic incident and investigation
On December 29, 2024, a tragic accident occurred at Muan International Airport in South Korea involving a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, a low-cost carrier from the country.
The aircraft, which had taken off from Bangkok, Thailand, was attempting an emergency landing due to a potential bird strike that had damaged the hydraulic system of the landing gear.
As the plane came in for its landing, it lost control, skidded off the runway, and collided with a concrete structure at the runway's end.
This collision led to an explosion, resulting in the deaths of 179 out of the 181 people onboard.
Preliminary investigations revealed that both the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) stopped recording about four minutes before the crash, hindering a full analysis of the chain of events.
Investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are working alongside their South Korean counterparts, who are reviewing air traffic control data, video footage of the incident, and wreckage found at the crash site.
The safety protocols at Muan Airport have been criticized, particularly regarding the concrete structure that the plane struck.
Experts believe that the structure should have been constructed with lighter materials to reduce the severity of damage in such an accident.
