A second South Korean Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 experienced landing gear issues but landed safely, according to Yonhap.
A Jeju Air plane experienced a landing-gear malfunction on Monday, prompting the crew to return safely to Seoul. This incident comes just one day after a deadly crash involving another Jeju Air jet, which resulted in 179 deaths, marking South Korea‘s worst aviation disaster.
The crew discovered a landing-gear issue after takeoff from Seoul. Despite initially fixing the problem with help from the airline’s maintenance team, the pilot decided to return to the airport for a safety check. The plane landed without incident at 7:20 a.m. local time. Passengers were moved to other flights. It was not immediately confirmed which model the plane was, but it was reported as a Boeing 737-800, the same type of aircraft involved in the previous crash.
On Sunday, a separate Jeju Air plane, Flight 7C2216, crashed at Muan International Airport after a bird strike caused an emergency landing attempt. The flight had initially been cleared to land but had to make a go-around due to the bird strike. Unfortunately, the plane overran the runway and crashed into an embankment. Rescue teams responded quickly, but 179 people were killed in the crash.
Key moments from Flight 7C2216’s final minutes were recorded by South Korea’s transport ministry:
– At 8:54 a.m., air traffic control cleared the plane to land on runway 01.
– At 8:59 a.m., the pilot declared an emergency due to the bird strike.
– A go-around was initiated, and the plane was cleared to land on runway 19.
– By 9:02 a.m., the plane touched down, but it overshot the runway and crashed into the embankment.
– Emergency services were quickly deployed, and the airport was shut down. Two survivors were rescued from the wreckage, though the crash resulted in significant loss of life.
South Korea Orders 737-800 Inspections
South Korea has mandated inspections of all Boeing 737-800s in the country.
Since its introduction, the Boeing 737-800 has been involved in at least 25 reported accidents. The model is widely used worldwide, making up around 15% of the global passenger fleet.
As of early 2024, there have been 529 accidents involving all Boeing 737 models, resulting in over 5,700 fatalities across various incidents.
