Headline: Jeju Air Plane Tragedy: Pilot Ejected Mayday Signal Due to Bird Strike Minutes Before Crash
Article:
In a tragic turn of events, a Jeju Air plane experienced a bird strike just minutes before it crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing 179 passengers on board. The pilot had ejected a mayday signal due to the incident, raising questions about the fateful crash that has left the aviation community stunned.
The Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport confirmed that the pilot of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft (flight 7C2216) declared a mayday at 08:59 local time. The alarm was raised just two minutes after an air traffic control warning was issued about the bird strike at 08:57.
"After receiving the bird strike warning, the pilot declared a mayday," a ministry spokesperson said, quoted by Yonhap News Agency. The pilot was subsequently given permission to land on the opposite direction of runway 1. However, the aircraft veered off the runway, hitting the surrounding concrete wall, and eventually exploded.
All 175 passengers and four cabin crew members on board were confirmed dead, with only two flight attendants miraculously surviving the crash. The ill-fated flight had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, carrying a total of 181 individuals on board.
Eye-witness footage captured the harrowing moment when the plane arrived without its landing gear, skidding on its belly before bursting into flames. Early reports suggest that a combination of bird strike and adverse weather conditions may have contributed to the accident.
While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, public scrutiny has fallen on the relatively short runway at Muan International Airport, which is currently under construction and measures around 2,500 meters. However, the ministry maintains that the length of the runway was not a factor in the crash, stating that the plane in question could safely land on a runway measuring as little as 1,500 meters.
As the aviation community mourns the loss of life, all eyes are on the investigation process to determine the exact cause of the Jeju Air plane crash and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
