Letter from Seoul - 24
A week of mourning in South Korea
South Korea is in mourning after a plane crash Sunday morning killed 179 people at Muan International Airport 180 miles (289 km) southwest of Seoul. The manifest included 175 passengers and six crew. Two crew members were rescued.
This is considered the worst domestic civilian aviation disaster in South Korean history.
The country began a weeklong national period of mourning Sunday as investigators worked to determine the cause of the fiery commercial plane crash.
Jeju Air flight 2216 arriving from Bangkok touched down at Muan International Airport shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday with no visible landing gear, veered off the runway and slammed into a wall at high speed, bursting into flames as parts of the fuselage flew into the air.
As airport officials announced the names of those killed in the crash, families of the passengers wept, and screamed, some collapsing on the floor. The deceased were all Koreans, except for two Thai nationals.
The control tower at Muan International Airport had issued bird strike warnings shortly before the pilots declared “mayday” and attempted to land, authorities said.
"Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognize," Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a press briefing.
Two flight attendants, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Lee said.
The two survivors are being treated in hospital. One was in an intensive care unit with fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine, said Ju Woong, the director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul hospital.
Investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors, Lee said.
Yonhap news agency cited airport authorities as saying such a strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction.
A bird strike refers to when one or more are drawn into the engine intakes, causing damage to the fan blades, and disrupting the engine's functionality. Engine failure due to bird strikes can result in a loss of thrust, reduced aircraft performance, or even catastrophic results due to complete engine shutdown.
U.S. President Joseph Biden said in a statement that he and First Lady Jill Biden were “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life” and noted that “as close allies” of South Korea whose people “share deep bonds of friendship” with Americans, “our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted.”
A team of U.S. air accident investigators led by the NTSB, FAA and Boeing, makers of the 737-800 that crashed, would be assisting Korean air investigators, the NTSB said Sunday, as air safety experts questioned why the plane had not been able to lower its undercarriage after one engine was hit by what appeared to be a bird strike.
The control tower at Muan International Airport had issued bird strike warnings shortly before the pilots declared “mayday” and attempted to land, authorities said.
"Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognize," Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a press briefing.
Two flight attendants, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Lee said.
The two survivors are being treated in hospital. One was in an intensive care unit with fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine, said Ju Woong, the director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul hospital.
Investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors, Lee said.
Yonhap news agency cited airport authorities as saying such a strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction.
A bird strike refers to when one or more are drawn into the engine intakes, causing damage to the fan blades, and disrupting the engine's functionality. Engine failure due to bird strikes can result in a loss of thrust, reduced aircraft performance, or even catastrophic results due to complete engine shutdown.
U.S. President Joseph Biden said in a statement that he and First Lady Jill Biden were “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life” and noted that “as close allies” of South Korea whose people “share deep bonds of friendship” with Americans, “our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted.”
A team of U.S. air accident investigators led by the NTSB, FAA and Boeing, makers of the 737-800 that crashed, would be assisting Korean air investigators, the NTSB said Sunday, as air safety experts questioned why the plane had not been able to lower its undercarriage after one engine was hit by what appeared to be a bird strike.
Sources:
The Guardian
Reuters
USA Today
Yonhap News Agency
Airports in South Korea:
Incheon
Gimpo-Seoul
JeJu
Muan
Ulsan
Yangyang
Yeosu
Incheon International Airport is operated by the Incheon International Airport Corporation. All other airports are operated by the Korea Airports Corporation.
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