Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 taking off from Osaka Kansai Airport.
Fabrizio Gandolfo | Light Rocket | Getty Images
Accident investigation authorities have identified the cause of Korea’s worst aviation accident, in which a Jeju Air flight landed belly-up without lowering its landing gear at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, bursting into flames and killing all but two of the 181 people on board. I’m trying to figure it out. In a few decades.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an emergency inspection of the country. boeing The 737-800 is the type of airplane used on Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which caused the fatal accident.
The Boeing 737-800 is one of the most commonly used aircraft in the world and has a strong safety record. This model is older than the Boeing 737 Max, which was involved in two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing all 346 people on board. The 737 Max has been grounded for almost two years.
There are about 4,400 737-800s in service around the world, according to aviation data firm Cirium. This means that this model accounts for approximately 17% of the commercial airliners in service worldwide.
Cirium said the average age of the world’s 737-800 fleet is 13 years, with the last aircraft in the series delivered about five years ago.
Jeju Air took delivery of the plane involved in this weekend’s crash in 2017. According to Flightradar24, the plane was previously operated by European low-cost carrier Ryanair. The plane involved in the crash was about 15 years old.
Aerospace experts say investigators are unlikely to find any design problems with the long-flying aircraft.
“The idea that we would find a design flaw at this point is almost inconceivable,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of aerospace consultancy Aerodynamic Advisory.
A full investigation could take more than a year, and the unusual incident has raised more questions than answers, including why the landing gear was not deployed. Even if there is a hydraulic failure, Boeing 737-800 pilots can lower the landing gear manually.
One theory is that the engine may have stopped due to a bird strike.
“If it had happened at the altitude they were at, they may not have had time to do an emergency checklist,” said Jeff Gazzetti, a former aviation safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. . He also said the accident could have been saved had the plane not hit a hard wall at the end of the runway.
The NTSB is leading a U.S. investigation team that includes boeing The aircraft is manufactured and certified in the United States and is also recognized by the FAA.
Under international protocols, the country where the accident occurred will lead the overall investigation.
