What We Know About Fatal South Korea Plane Crash

Topline

A Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea became the country’s deadliest plane disaster in decades Sunday, killing 179 people with only two survivors and shocking the country and world, prompting an investigation into whether bird strikes, weather or other issues caused the crash.

Key Facts

What Happened During The Jeju Air Crash?

Minutes before the plane crash-landed, the Muan International Airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the flight, a not-uncommon warning due to duck and goose habitats near the airport. But two minutes after the control tower’s warning, the pilot of the flight reportedly said: “Mayday, mayday, mayday, bird strike, bird strike, going around,” indicating he would renege on his first attempt to land and prepare to circle around the runway to try again. The pilot then attempted to land from the opposite direction, from north to south, after being given clearance by the control tower. But the plane touched the ground without its landing gear deployed, traveling down the runway before slamming into a concrete wall and bursting into flames. Lee Geun-young, a restaurant owner who captured now-viral cell phone footage of the plane crash, told the Wall Street Journal he heard loud bangs before rushing to record the incident, stating the crash’s “heat on my face was like the steam rising from a sauna.”

What Type Of Boeing 737 Crashed?

The plane was a Boeing 737-800. The model is one of the world’s most popular commercial airplanes, with more than 4,400 in operation, CNBC reported. The model is older than the Boeing 737 MAX, the aircraft involved in two fatal crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019—triggering widespread scrutiny of Boeing’s safety culture. Boeing 737-800 models are 13 years old on average, and the last of the models were delivered to airports five years ago. The crash still sparked anxiety: Boeing’s share price fell more than 2% on Monday, and thousands of people reportedly canceled Jeju Air flights.

What Is The Jeju Air Investigation Focused On?

South Korean authorities and U.S. investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating to determine the cause of the crash. Two “black boxes”—the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recording devices—were recovered from the site, though the Korea Herald reported these boxes could take a month or more to decode. One of the boxes is damaged, the Korea Herald reported, which may require South Korean authorities to transport the box to the U.S.’s NTSB for analysis, which could take up to six months. Investigators are also reportedly investigating the impact of potential bird strikes and weather, whether any of the plane’s control systems were disabled and why the plane’s landing seemed rushed. Aviation experts have also raised questions about the cause of the crash. “Why was the plane going so fast? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down?” aviation expert Gregory Alegi told the Associated Press. South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airplane operation, including checks of all Boeing 737-800s.

Was The Jeju Crash Caused By A Bird Strike?

Though the air control tower and pilot both reported bird strikes, the role any potential bird strikes played in the crash is unclear and a central focus of the investigation. Some experts have expressed doubt the bird strikes could be the primary cause of the crash. Aviation experts told Reuters and The New York Times a bird strike could have disabled the plane’s engines but shouldn’t have stopped the pilots from lowering the landing gear. Expert Geoffrey Thomas told Reuters bird strikes are “not unusual,” but “typically they don’t cause the loss of an airplane by themselves.”

Who Survived The Crash—and What Do We Know About The Victims?

The two survivors of the plane crash are both flight attendants who were seated near the back of the plane. One survivor, a 33-year-old identified by his surname Lee, is reportedly awake and communicating with no indication of memory loss in a South Korean hospital, where he is being treated for multiple fractures. The other survivor, a 25-year-old flight attendant identified by her surname Koo, is reportedly in stable condition after suffering injuries to her ankle and head. All others on the plane—175 passengers and four of the six crew members—died in the crash. The victims include 84 males, 85 females and 10 whose gender could not be determined, CNN reported. All passengers were South Korean, except two Thai nationals. South Korea announced a period of seven days’ mourning in honor of the victims. Some family members of the victims have criticized the lack of updates in the investigation, BBC reported.

How Are Airlines Reacting To The South Korea Crash?

Shares of Jeju Air dropped 8.65% on Monday, reportedly plummeting as far as 15.7% earlier in the day. Shares of AK Holdings, the holding company for Jeju Air, fell 12% to hit a 16-year low, the Associated Press reported. Korean Air Lines shares dropped 1.3%, while Asiana Airlines fell 0.8%.

What Have World Leaders Said?

President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday he and his wife, Jill Biden, are “deeply saddened” by the plane crash, stating the United States is “ready to provide any necessary assistance.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she is “heartbroken” by the crash, stating Europe “stands with” South Korea in a post on X. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the crash “yet another blow to the nation’s heart,” referencing weeks of political turmoil in South Korea—former acting president Han Duck-soo was impeached last week, weeks after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration plunged the country into political chaos.

Further Reading

South Korea Plane Crash: President Biden ‘Deeply Saddened’ By Accident That Killed Nearly 180 (Forbes)

Jeju Air shares plummet to record low after deadly plane crash (Associated Press)

‘Mayday, Mayday’: The Final Six Minutes Before the Deadly South Korean Plane Crash (Wall Street Journal)