2024 is finishing on an awful note when it comes to aviation safety. A few days ago, we saw an Azerbaijan Airlines jet crash in Kazakhstan, and now we’ve seen an accident in South Korea, which is one of the deadliest in the country’s history.
Jeju Air 737 has deadly belly landing in Muan
This incident happened on the morning of Sunday, December 29, 2024, and involves Jeju Air flight 7C2216. The flight was scheduled to depart Bangkok, Thailand (BKK), at 1:30AM, and land in Muan, South Korea (MWX), at 8:30AM (there’s a two-hour time change between the airports).
The 2,170-mile flight was operated by a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 with the registration code HL8088. The plane had operated for Jeju Air since 2017, and prior to that, flew for Ryanair. Let me emphasize that the 737-800 is different than the 737 MAX, which has been in the news a lot. There were a total of 181 people onboard, including 175 passengers and six crew members.
The 4hr30min flight was mostly routine, until landing. One video shows the right side engine of the aircraft having some sort of an explosion at a low altitude. While it has been suggested that this was due to a bird strike, it could have also been something like a compressor stall.
The next video footage of the aircraft shows it landing on runway 19 at Muan Airport without gear. The aircraft couldn’t come to a stop, though, and accelerated past the end of the runway at a very high speed. The aircraft struck a barrier past the end of the runway, caught fire, and sustained serious damage, breaking into two.
For what it’s worth, Muan’s runway is just over 9,000 feet long, so it’s not short. So far, authorities have reported that of the 181 people onboard, only two survived, and those were crew members seated in the back of the plane, which sustained the least damage. However, many of the bodies haven’t been recovered. My thoughts are with those onboard and their families, and may those who passed rest in peace. I simply have no words.
Below is a video of the accident, which is heartbreaking. Some people may find the video disturbing, so watch at your own discretion.
For those not familiar with Jeju Air, it’s South Korea’s largest low cost carrier, with a fleet of over 40 Boeing 737s. This is the carrier’s first fatal accident in its nearly 20 year history, since launching operations in 2005.
What could’ve possibly caused this crash?
It’s way too early to know what caused this accident. The details we know so far paint a very strange story. The below YouTube video from a pilot has a great rundown of what we know so far, and general considerations with a belly landing.
Obviously the biggest questions center around how the issue with the right engine translated into a belly landing. There are procedures in place for belly landings, and they can be performed safely. So I’m sure investigators will be able to determine why the aircraft was still moving at such a high speed at the end of the runway.
From watching the landing video, it’s interesting to note that the flaps and spoilers don’t appear to be deployed during the landing. However, the reverse thrust for the right engine was deployed (but seemingly not on the left engine).
While it’s possible (and perhaps even likely) that this is completely unrelated, it’s worth noting that this same aircraft had a diversion just over 24 hours prior to this incident. On December 27, 2024, the aircraft has operating flight 7C8135 from Jeju, South Korea (CJU), to Beijing, China (PKX), when it diverted to Seoul Incheon (ICN). The aircraft then reentered service after around five hours.
Bottom line
A Jeju Air Boeing 737 had a horrible accident while landing in Muan this morning. The aircraft had some sort of issue with its right engine on approach, and then moments later was seen performing a belly landing on runway 19 without gear, before catching fire after running into a structure past the end of the runway.
With 179 of the 181 people onboard presumed dead, this will prove to be the deadliest aviation accident since October 2018, when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX crashed.
What do you make of this Jeju Air accident?
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