179 are dead after a South Korean airliner crashed at the country's Muan International Airport on Sunday. The crash, which left just two of the 181 people on board alive, is the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korea since a Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed in Guam in 1997, killing 228 people.
Videos of the crash showed the Jeju Air flight sliding on its belly at high speed before hitting an embankment and erupting into flames. Neither the front nor back landing gear appeared visible, with smoke pouring from the rear of the aircraft.
While the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, a bird strike is being considered as a factor in Sunday’s deadly crash after officials said that air traffic controllers had warned the aircraft of bird strike risks just minutes before the disaster. One of the two survivors on board reportedly mentioned a bird strike after being rescued, according to Yonhap News.
The incident highlights the airport's history with bird strikes. Data from the Korea Airports Corporation shows that Muan has recorded the highest rate of bird strikes among South Korea’s 14 regional airports, with 10 incidents reported between 2019 and August 2024, according to The Guardian.
Though the total number of incidents is relatively low, Muan's bird strike rate of 0.09 percent of flights far exceeds those of other major airports, such as Gimpo (0.018 percent) and Jeju (0.013 percent). Some aviator experts say that Muan’s location near fields and coastal areas increases their risk of bird strikes.
Nationwide, bird strike incidents have risen steadily, from 108 in 2019 to 152 in 2023. Airports across the country employ countermeasures like sound deterrents and monitoring systems, with some now exploring advanced technologies, including AI and radar, to track bird movements.
Both black boxes from the airliner have been recovered, including flight data and cockpit voice records, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. These devices are expected to provide critical information to aviation safety investigators.
Local fire officials and aviation experts have also pointed to a possible landing gear malfunction. The investigation continues as authorities put together the sequence of events leading to the crash.
