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The Jeju Air plane crash at South Korea's Muan, the death count of which has climbed to 85 and may go up further, took place moments after the Boeing 737-800 aircraft attempted a belly landing. Videos of the moments before the crash show the plane dragging on its underbody before crashing into a wall. The aircraft, flying from Bangkok in Thailand to Muan, had 181 onboard. The national fire agency has said they have rescued two people and all others are feared dead, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency has reported.
Visuals capturing the plane crash show the aircraft dragging on its belly before it rams a wall and goes up in flames. Pilots attempt belly landing when during a landing gear malfunction. A Yonhap report quoting airport authorities said the pilot tried a crash landing after a regular landing attempt failed. This could have been the result of a bird strike. "Witnesses cited signs that the plane's landing gear, such as tires, remained unactivated, possibly sending it to attempt a crash landing, with a bird collision presumed to be the cause of the malfunction," the report said.
Social media users, including former pilots, have raised several questions. One of them is the plane's high speed when landing on a runway less than 3 km long. Others have asked why firefighters are not in position near the runway if it was a planned belly landing. There is another question, the aircraft trajectory shows the plane did not circle before attempting a belly landing, considered a last-ditch manoeuvre. Planes hit by technical malfunction usually circle the airport as the pilots try to figure out a solution. In this case, however, that was not done.
Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, told the media that bad weather contributed to the tragedy. "The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation," he said.
Low-cost airline Jeju Air apologised for the crash and said it would all it could to help. "We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern," the airline said in a statement posted on social media.
South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok said, "I believe no words of consolation would suffice for the bereaved families who have suffered this tragedy. The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident, dedicating all available resources, while making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families"