On December 29th local time, a passenger plane collided and caught fire at Woan Airport in Jeollanam do, South Korea.
According to CCTV News, the South Korean Jeollanam do Fire Department stated that all personnel involved in the accident are expected to be killed except for the two rescued. It is reported that there were 173 South Korean passengers, 2 Thai passengers, and 6 crew members on board, totaling 181 people.
After confirmation, the aircraft model of Jeju Airlines Flight 7C2216 that was involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-800 from the United States, which was manufactured in August 2009 and has an age of 15 years. It is reported that Jeju Airlines belongs to the budget airline company, and the crashed Boeing 737-800 is a single aisle narrow body aircraft that is favored by many low-cost airlines around the world.
A reporter from the Daily Economic News noticed that on the evening of December 28th local time, a KLM Boeing 737-800 aircraft quickly encountered pressure problems after taking off from Oslo, Norway. During the emergency landing, it did not land smoothly and veered to the right, almost entering another runway. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Obviously, the consecutive occurrence of two accidents, especially the Korean disaster, is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Boeing. Foreign media pointed out that this year has been an extremely bad year for Boeing.
According to Forecast International, in the first nine months of 2024, Boeing delivered 291 aircraft to customers, while its competitor Airbus delivered 497 aircraft.
The local fire department stated that only 2 people are still alive, and it is preliminarily speculated that the accident was caused by the plane colliding with a flock of birds
The plane involved in the accident was Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which was flying from Bangkok, Thailand to Busan, South Korea. During landing, the landing gear malfunctioned, causing the plane to deviate from the runway and collide with the airport wall, catching fire. There were 173 South Korean passengers, 2 Thai passengers, and 6 crew members on board, totaling 181 people.
On the same day, Choi Sang mu, who acted as the acting president of South Korea, instructed relevant departments, including the fire department, to mobilize all available equipment and manpower to fully carry out the rescue operation.
According to CCTV News, the latest update from the South Korean Fire Department states that the accident has resulted in 124 deaths. However, the Jeollanam do Fire Department stated to the families of the passengers on the crashed plane at Muan Airport that all but two survivors perished. The department also stated that both rescued individuals were flight attendants on board. The relevant departments are currently confirming the passenger list and the location of passengers on the plane, and confirming the identity of the victims. At present, all flights at Wu'an Airport in South Korea have been cancelled for takeoff and landing.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju, South Korea previously confirmed that there were no Chinese citizens injured or killed in the plane crash.
After confirmation, the aircraft model involved in the incident is a Boeing 737-800, manufactured in August 2009, with an age of 15 years. At present, all flights at Wu'an Airport in South Korea have been cancelled for takeoff and landing. According to South Korean media reports, the South Korean police and fire department speculate that the cause of the plane crash at Goan Airport in South Korea may be a malfunction of the landing gear during the landing process.
The South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo quoted police and fire departments as saying that it is preliminarily speculated that the plane collided with a flock of birds, causing the landing gear to be unable to be lowered. Yonhap News Agency said that the landing gear malfunctioned during the landing process, and then the plane deviated from the runway and crashed into the airport wall while attempting to land, causing a fire.
The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said at a press conference that before the Wu'an Airport plane accident, the airport tower had issued a bird flock collision warning to the plane pilot. One minute later, the pilot issued a distress signal "MAYDAY", and about two minutes later, an accident occurred.
Boeing responds to safety and quality crisis
Boeing stated that it is in contact with Jeju Airlines regarding the fatal air crash in South Korea, and expresses condolences to the families of the victims of the Korean plane crash.
The plane involved in this accident was a Boeing 737-800, and the safety of this series of aircraft has been controversial. Public information shows that in the past year, the Boeing 737-800 has been involved in multiple accidents caused by abnormal landing gear. On the evening of December 28th local time, a KLM Boeing 737-800 aircraft encountered pressure problems shortly after takeoff from Oslo, Norway, and did not land smoothly during the emergency landing. The plane veered to the right and crashed into the lawn, almost entering another runway. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the accident.
On October 11, 2024, a 737-800 operated by Indian Express Airways experienced hydraulic failure, causing the landing gear to fail to retract and forcing it to return. On May 9, 2024, the 737-800 of Türkiye's Crondon Airlines had a flat tire on the front landing gear when it landed.
In early January of this year, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airline DeWei Airlines also caught fire in its right engine due to a bird strike before landing at Incheon Airport. In the end, the plane successfully landed and no one was injured among the 122 people on board. In January of the same year, the door plug of Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX 9 burst, causing uncontrolled decompression. Although it narrowly avoided another fatal accident, in the following months, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented production limits, Boeing fired the head of its commercial aircraft division, and the then CEO resigned and hired a new CEO.
According to statistics, the Boeing 737-800 project was officially launched on September 5, 1994. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft is one of the improved models of the Boeing 737, which is an extended version of the Boeing 737-700 and directly replaces the Boeing 737-400. Looking at the entire Boeing 737 series, from the delivery of the first prototype in 1967 to the launch of the 737 MAX, in over 50 years, the Boeing 737 series has developed 14 models.
Obviously, this accident is another piece of bad news for Boeing. Foreign media pointed out that this year has been a "tragic" year for Boeing. This company is not only struggling with safety and quality control crises, but also directly losing billions of dollars after worker strikes caused production paralysis at its two largest factories.
Boeing's safety and quality issues have dealt a heavy blow to its business. According to Forecast International, in the first nine months of this year, Boeing delivered 291 aircraft to customers, while its competitor Airbus delivered 497 aircraft. Boeing's delivery quantity is only more than half of Airbus's.
In addition, Boeing's space program has also encountered major problems. In June of this year, two astronauts were trapped on the International Space Station after a potential malfunction in their Boeing Starliner spacecraft and have yet to return to Earth.