A Jeju Air jet was caught on camera skidding off the runway, hitting a concrete barrier and bursting into flames at a South Korean airport.
Sunday’s accident killed 179 passengers and crew. Only two members of the crew, a man and a woman, survived.
Footage broadcast by a South Korean television station showed the plane skidding and the landing gear apparently not deployed. The jet overran the runway and crashed into a barrier, causing a violent explosion. Footage showed thick smoke billowing from the plane as it became engulfed in flames.
The plane involved was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 airliner. The crash occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time near the town of Muan, about 290 miles south of Seoul, where the plane had arrived from Bangkok.
Plane veers off airport runway and crashes in South Korea, killing 179 people: Report
Firefighters and members of a rescue team work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Kyle Bailey, former head of the FAA safety team, told Fox News that the plane appeared to be traveling too fast as it skidded down the runway and struck a structure that appeared to house an instrument landing system. spoke.
“I think that’s what made it such a disaster for that plane,” he said.
Flight data from the plane’s black box and cockpit voice recorder were recovered by workers. They will be inspected by government experts investigating the cause of the accident and fire, said Ju Jeong-wan, a senior official at the Ministry of Transport.
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A rescue team carries the body of a passenger at the scene of an aircraft fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, December 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
The investigation into the cause of the crash is expected to take several months, but Muan Fire Chief Lee Jong-hyun said officials are investigating various possibilities, including whether the plane was hit by a bird.
President Biden released a statement on Sunday about the crash and offered U.S. assistance if needed.
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Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, December 29, 2024. (Cho Nam Soo/Yonhap News, Associated Press)
“Jill and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life in the Jeju Air disaster in Muan, South Korea,” Biden said. “As close allies, the American people share deep ties of friendship with the Korean people, and our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragedy. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance.” It’s done.”
Department of Transportation officials said the airport’s control tower issued a bird strike warning just before the plane landed and gave the pilot permission to land in another area.
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The fire chief said in a teleconference that the plane was destroyed and the only recognizable part of the wreckage was the tail assembly.
FOX News’ Sarah Rumpf-Witten, Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
