The Jeju Air passenger plane involved in the runway overrun accident at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, declared the emergency signal “Mayday” one minute after receiving a bird strike warning. Five minutes later, the plane crashed.
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) announced this during a briefing on Sunday regarding the Muan passenger plane accident.
According to Joo Jong Wan, Director of Aviation Policy at MOLIT, Muan Airport’s control tower issued a bird strike warning to the aircraft at approximately 8:57 a.m. on Sunday. One minute later, at 8:58 a.m., the plane’s captain declared “Mayday,” the international distress signal.
The aircraft attempted to land on Runway 19, the opposite direction of its initially designated Runway 01, around 9:00 a.m. Three minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., the plane landed on the runway with its landing gear not deployed and subsequently crashed.
MOLIT stated, “As the plane attempted to land in the direction of Runway 01, the control tower issued a bird strike warning. Shortly after, the pilot declared Mayday. The control tower was then granted permission to land in the opposite direction. The plane overran the runway during this process and collided with the outer wall.”
The ministry confirmed that the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board had retrieved the flight data recorder, one of the two black boxes on the plane. The cockpit voice recorder is expected to be recovered based on on-site conditions.
Regarding concerns that the relatively short runway length might have contributed to the accident, Joo stated, “It is difficult to attribute this as the direct cause.” Muan Airport’s runway is 2,800 meters long, shorter than those at Incheon International Airport (4,000 meters), Gimpo International Airport (3,600 meters), and Jeju International Airport (3,180 meters). However, it is comparable to Daegu International Airport (2,755 meters) and Cheongju International Airport (2,744 meters).
Muan Airport has been extending its runway by 360 meters to a total length of 3,160 meters. MOLIT officials noted that the airport has regularly accommodated Class C aircraft, which have been involved in previous incidents, despite its current 2,800-meter runway length.
Regarding the high casualty count, MOLIT stated, “A fire broke out after the plane performed a belly landing, and emergency responders immediately mobilized. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific causes of the extensive casualties.”
The incident has raised several questions requiring further investigation and explanation. These include why the aircraft could not jettison fuel before the belly landing and why special foam was not applied to reduce friction on the runway.
Meanwhile, South Jeolla Fire Department confirmed that as of 4:18 p.m. on Sunday, 127 fatalities had been identified.
Most Commented