Spectacular images of the collapse of a Boeing 737-800 plane operated by Jeju Air at Muan International Airport were released on Sunday night. The event claimed the lives of at least 62 persons, according to Yonhap news agency.
The aircraft is seen skidding wildly along the runway in the video footage of the crash before erupting into a large fireball. During its attempted landing, the plane was engulfed in thick, dark dust before it went out of control.
The aircraft’s attempted ‘ belly getting ‘—a last hotel movement used when landing gear fails—is believed to have contributed to the accident. Initial studies suggest that the getting products malfunctioned after being allegedly in contact with animals.
The incident took place at 9:07 am local period when the flight from Bangkok to Muan veered off the airport and collided with a border at the airport, which is located about 288 km south of Seoul. Onboard were 175 people and six staff members, most of them North Korean citizens, along with two Thai people.
Jeju Air, founded in 2005, is one of South Korea’s leading low-cost companies with a flawless safety record history. A Bombardier Q400 veered off the runway in 2007 because of strong winds at Busan-Gimhae Airport, which caused a few accidents but no mortality.
The drama comes weeks after another aviation crisis in Kazakhstan, where an Azerbaijan Airlines flight burst into flames, claiming 38 lives. Without providing additional information, primary investigations point to the possibility of “external interference” with Russian President Putin apologizing to his Azerbaijan counterpart for the crash.
