Jeju Air plane crash: Cause not collision with bird, is there something fishy?

After the tragedy, many different theories were put forward to explain the real cause of the accident that took 179 away forever. However, there are still things that cannot be explained.

The incident occurred at 9:07 a.m. on December 29 (local time) when a Boeing 737-800 from Bangkok (Thailand) carrying 181 people landed at Muan International Airport (South Jeolla Province, South Korea), about 288 km southwest of Seoul. Acting President of South Korea Choi Sang-mok declared 7 days of national mourning starting December 29 to remember the unfortunate victims.

The Boeing 737-800 reportedly arrived at Muan International Airport at around 8:54 a.m. on December 29. According to reports, the plane declared an emergency at 8:58 a.m., just one minute after the airport air traffic control tower issued a bird strike warning and attempted to land in the opposite direction of the runway at 9:00 a.m.

Three minutes later, the plane crashed into a fence without landing gear and was unable to slow down before reaching the end of the runway. The accident killed all 179 people on board. The two survivors were both flight attendants from Jeju Air. They were found in the tail section of the plane, which was the only part of the vehicle that was still intact, while the rest was burned or unrecognizable.

Many aviation experts agree that the landing gear failure was the direct cause of the accident. "If you watch the video, you can see that the landing gear did not open, and the plane landed without slowing down," said Professor Choi Kee-young from Inha University.

"An aircraft has multiple brakes, and if the landing gear fails, the reverse thrusters raise the flaps, acting as air brakes. But they don't seem to work in this case," Choi added. "My guess is that both engines failed. If both engines failed, the whole plane would crash and the pilot's command could not be transmitted."

Meanwhile, experts identified the bird strike as the main cause of the landing gear failure, as it could have affected both the engine and the hydraulic system. "If a bird flies into the engine, it could have damaged and affected the hydraulic system connected to it. The hydraulic system raises and lowers the landing gear during takeoff and landing, and that part could have been damaged," said Kim Kyu-wang, director of the Aviation Training Center at Hanseo University.

However, other experts believe that the failure of one engine after hitting a bird is unlikely to cause such a catastrophic outcome. According to them, even if one engine fails due to a bird strike, the second engine can still provide power to the landing gear, suggesting the possibility of other systemic problems in the plane.

Experts from Airline News have a similar opinion, saying that a bird strike is unlikely to cause the landing gear to fail, as bird strikes rarely cause catastrophic accidents. Some experts also note that it is a mystery why the plane did not slow down after landing.

According to Christian Beckert, a flight safety expert and pilot for Lufthansa, video footage of the incident shows that, in addition to the reverser, most of the plane's braking system was not activated, causing the plane to have "big problems" and land quickly.

"It is very rare and unusual for an aircraft to land without its landing gear down, because the aircraft has independent systems that can lower the landing gear with an alternative system," Mr. Beckert added.

Experts have called for a thorough investigation to determine whether the crash was caused by a bird strike, airframe failure or poor maintenance.

"We need to analyze the cause, but it is very unusual that all landing gear failed," said Kim In-gyu, director of the Flight Training Center at Korea Aerospace University.

"It is difficult to conclude that the bird strike alone was the cause. We also need to check whether the plane had any pre-existing defects," said expert Kim.

Korean Airplane Crash: Damaged "Black Box" Impedes Investigation, New Evidence Appears Hướng Dương17:20:43 31/12/2024The Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea has seen a new development, with a key part of the flight data recorder (FDR) missing. This could slow down the investigation.