Bird Strike, Gear Failure And Belly Landing: The Deadly Chain of Events in South Korea Crash

New Delhi, India: A tragic accident occurred at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday when a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, carrying 181 people, crashed shortly after attempting a belly landing. The death toll has reached 167, with authorities fearing the number may rise further. The aircraft was flying from Bangkok to Muan when it encountered a landing gear malfunction, which led to the crash.

Videos from the scene show the plane dragging on its belly before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. 

According to reports from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the aircraft attempted a crash landing after a failed regular landing attempt. 

Witnesses suggested that the plane’s landing gear, including its tires, remained unactivated, possibly due to a bird strike that caused the malfunction. 

Witnesses to the crash reported seeing flames coming from the jet’s engine and hearing multiple explosions before the crash. 

Some of them, including Yoo Jae-yong, a local resident, reported seeing a spark on the plane’s wing followed by a loud explosion. 

Other witnesses heard a series of explosions after the crash, and one reported seeing the plane attempt a second landing after failing the first.

There have been questions raised by former pilots and social media users about several aspects of the accident. 

Some noted the plane's high speed during the landing, considering the runway was less than 3 km long. Others questioned why firefighters were not positioned near the runway if a belly landing had been planned. 

Additionally, it was pointed out that the aircraft did not circle the airport before attempting the belly landing, a common procedure in case of a technical malfunction. 

Muan fire station chief Lee Jeong-hyun confirmed that bad weather may have contributed to the tragedy. He stated that while a bird strike was suspected as the primary cause, a full investigation would be carried out to determine the exact cause of the crash.

In response to the crash, Jeju Air issued an apology and vowed to provide full assistance to those affected.