According to CCTV News, on December 29th local time, a Jeju Air passenger plane from South Korea veered off the runway and crashed into the airport wall while landing at Woan Airport in Jeollanam do, South Korea. Except for 2 people who were rescued, all 179 people on board died, making it the deadliest air disaster in South Korea.
The reporter learned that on December 30th local time, the Gimpo Airport Test and Analysis Center in South Korea began data analysis on the "black box" of Jeju Airlines Flight 7C2216.
CCTV News
South Korean Ministry of Transport reports details of plane crash:
The aircraft landed 1600 meters ahead and collided with a concrete platform
On December 30th local time, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism confirmed to the media in Jeollanam do, the location of the Jeju Air crash, that the control tower of Jeollanam Airport had issued a bird warning to the plane before the crash occurred. The pilot of the aircraft reported an emergency situation, stating that due to being hit by a bird, they requested a go around and sent out the "Mayday" signal three times. Subsequently, the aircraft made a "belly landing" without lowering the landing gear, and eventually crashed into a facility at the end of the runway, exploding and catching fire.
The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism stated that the crashed plane began landing at one-third of the runway at Woan Airport. That is to say, the crashed plane traveled about 1600 meters while landing on the 2800 meter runway at Wu'an Airport, and collided with the concrete protective facilities and airport exterior walls located at the end of the runway.
The soil slope on the left side of the orange colored construction vehicle in the figure is the concrete platform mentioned in the article, which is higher than the ground. CCTV News
For the concrete protective facilities at the end of the runway, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism stated that this facility is commonly found at other airports in South Korea. The facility at Woan Airport is located about 251 meters outside the safe zone of the runway. It is understood that the facility is an antenna facility that guides aircraft into the airport runway, and there is also an antenna on the concrete platform. However, this facility is usually a metal structure and should not protrude from the ground. Therefore, some public opinion points out that the facility violates relevant regulations at home and abroad, and caused an explosion and fire when a Jeju Airlines passenger plane collided with the facility.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism responded by stating that there are relevant regulations for the installation of this protective facility, and the Ministry is conducting an investigation into the regulations for the installation of this facility and its correlation with the Jeju Airlines accident.
An official from the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also pointed out that "if there was more time, the pilot could have requested the ground to take preparatory measures, such as dispatching fire trucks on standby. When asked by the on-site reporter whether it was because there was not enough time for the fire brigade to deploy in advance, the official said, "It is speculated that this is the case.
Experts are puzzled:
Why is there a brick wall at the end of the runway?
According to CCTV News, Australian aviation commentator Jeffrey Thomas believes that the bird strike may have caused a malfunction in the right engine of the crashed plane, but as a twin engine model of the Boeing 737-800, the malfunction would not have had such a fatal impact. The unknown impact of bird impact events on factors such as cockpit operations may have caused the crew to be unable to lower the landing gear properly.
Aviation commentator Jeffrey Thomas: Some people believe that it may have been a bird strike that caused the hydraulic system failure of the landing gear, but I don't quite understand how this happened. However, even so, the landing gear can still be lowered manually. But considering the situation of bird impact and engine failure, do the crew have enough time to do it, and how much fuel do they have left? As it is a long-distance flight departing from Thailand, they may not have enough fuel reserves to postpone the emergency landing and lower the landing gear.
Thomas also raised questions about the installation of the fence at the end of the runway and the airport's handling of emergency landings in response to the accident at Wu'an International Airport.
Jeffrey Thomas, aviation commentator: If the aircraft is to make an emergency landing without the landing gear down, why does the (airport) fire truck not lay foam on the runway, why is the fire fighting not present when the aircraft lands, and why does the aircraft taxi so far on the runway? So much so that there was no chance to stop before running off the runway. Why is there a brick wall at the end of the runway? There are a series of questions that need to be answered, and we currently do not have an answer.
Marco Chen, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at New University in Buckinghamshire, UK, stated that the bird strike incident may have caused damage to the mechanical structure or power system of the landing gear, resulting in the landing gear doors getting stuck and unable to be lowered properly, ultimately leading to the failure of the emergency landing.
CCTV News
According to Red Star News, senior aviation expert and captain Chen Jianguo analyzed that there is a possibility of night flight fatigue causing the crew to make mistakes while busy. Chen Jianguo also stated that under normal circumstances, if the landing gear is not properly lowered, the pilot usually does not directly land but enters a waiting state, staying at an altitude of 2000-3000 feet or above for 5-10 minutes for a quick inspection, but did not see the flight trajectory of the involved flight for inspection.
Chen Jianguo said: Usually, the crew returning from Bangkok enters the airport in the middle of the night and flies for about 6 hours without rest throughout the night. The fatigue of the crew can lead to a decrease in human processing ability. The video shows that after a bird strike, the aircraft emits something like white gas, usually caused by engine wheezing after the bird strike. That is to say, it may encounter bird strikes and cause an increase in unit load. Will it lead to mistakes while busy? This is a high possibility.
On December 29th, Captain Liu Chuanjian, the prototype hero of "Captain China", spoke out about the South Korean plane crash: Today (29th) is not a very lucky day for the aviation industry. As a pilot, rigorous training is essential. Solid basic skills, calmness and decisiveness in critical moments are the result of proficiently applying rich knowledge. Although you may have trained in many special situations, every time a special situation arises, it is too different from training.
I just flew on a plane that crashed and caught fire two days ago,
Korean passenger recounted that their engine had stalled multiple times
According to Red Star News, more information about this aircraft has been revealed. According to Yonhap News Agency, just two days before the accident, a South Korean passenger had been on the same plane. The passenger revealed that they had taken Jeju Airlines flight 7C2216 on the 27th and discovered that the aircraft's engine had malfunctioned during boarding. I was on this plane at the time, and the engine had stalled a few times
According to reports, the passenger stated that he took off from Bangkok on the plane at 1:30am that day. I felt very uneasy because the engine stalled multiple times. After communicating with the flight attendant, their response was that there was no problem. The passenger also claimed that the flight was delayed for an hour due to airport issues before taking off.
He added, "Other passengers also raised questions, saying it was strange, but the plane still flew as usual. There were no other problems during operation and it flew directly back to Wu'an Airport
Two survivors: 33 year old Kongshao feared complete paralysis,
Flight attendant suffers ankle and head injuries
Jeju Airlines Flight 7C2216 crashed, with only 33 year old flight attendant Lee and 25-year-old flight attendant surviving at the tail.
According to the Xiaoxiang Morning Post, Li was originally sent to Mokpo Korean Hospital and transferred to Ewha Women's University Seoul Hospital for treatment on the afternoon of the 29th. Zhu Xiong, the director of Seoul Hospital at Ewha Womans University, said that due to Li's serious injuries and lack of assistance in recovery, the medical team did not inquire about the accident situation in detail. However, he said that Li told him, "When I woke up, I realized I had been rescued
When asked if Li has amnesia, Zhu Xiong said that Kong Shao "can communicate completely", but it is still impossible to determine whether he has amnesia. At present, the medical team has fixed his cervical spine. Although he cannot move his neck, he can make eye contact and answer questions.
Regarding Li's trauma, Zhu Xiong stated that he has 5 fractures throughout his body, including 2 thoracic vertebrae, 1 left scapula, and 2 left ribs. However, due to his symptoms of cervical nerve swelling and degeneration, it is speculated that he may experience sequelae such as complete paralysis in the future.
Apart from the fracture, Zhu Xiong stated that there is a 7-centimeter wound on Kong Shao's scalp. The patient is currently receiving intensive care and will also be arranged for psychiatric treatment.
Another surviving female flight attendant was transferred to Seoul Eshan Hospital on the evening of the 29th. She suffered ankle and head injuries, but her life is not in danger.
On the day of the accident, only 2 people were engaged in bird prevention activities
Originally arranged for 4 people to be on duty
According to the Xiaoxiang Morning Post, on the 30th, the South Korean Central Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters stated that "there are usually four bird control personnel on duty at Wu'an Airport, but on the day of the incident, only two people were on duty.
Wu'an Airport was opened in 2007 with the original intention of serving as an international airport in the southwestern region of South Korea. However, its runway length is about 2.8 kilometers, which is shorter than other major international airports. Most international airports where large aircraft frequently take off and land have runways longer than 3 kilometers. The local government is extending the runway length to 3.126 kilometers, with the goal of completing it next year. However, due to this construction, about 300 meters of the runway at Wu'an Airport cannot be used, and the actual usable distance is 2.5 kilometers.
(The runway length of major airports in South Korea is 3.75 kilometers for Incheon Airport and 2.8 kilometers for Muan Airport.)
Due to the proximity of Wu'an Airport to migratory bird habitats, approximately 12000 winter migratory birds were observed near the airport.
Since the beginning of airport construction, safety experts have raised relevant issues. In 2020, the strategic environmental report of Wu'an International Airport raised the issue of "the risk of aircraft colliding with birds", and even proposed specific measures such as installing binoculars or alarms and using lasers. However, due to the incomplete runway expansion project, these measures have not been properly implemented. From 2019 to August this year, there were a total of 10 bird collision incidents at Wu'an Airport.
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