A South Korean Jeju Air passenger jet crashed on landing at Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing 179 people in the country’s deadliest air disaster.

The following are the final minutes of Flight 7C2216 as provided by South Korea’s transport ministry and fire authorities.

All times are Korea Standard Time (GMT+9).

8:54 am – Muan airport air traffic control authorises the aircraft to land on runway 01, which is orientated at 10 degrees east of north.

8:57 am – Air traffic control gives “caution – bird activity” advisory.

8:59 am – Flight 7C2216 pilot reports bird strike, declares emergency “Mayday Mayday Mayday” and “Bird strike, bird strike, go-around.”

9:00 am – Flight 7C2216 initiates a go-around and requests authorisation to land on runway 19, which is by approach from the opposite end of the airport’s single runway.

9:01 am – Air traffic control authorises landing on runway 19.

9:02 am – Flight 7C2216 makes contact with runway at about 1,200m (1,312 yard) point of the 2,800m (3,062 yard) runway.

9:02:34 am – Air traffic control alerts “crash bell” at airport fire rescue unit.

9:02:55 am – Airport fire rescue unit completes deploying fire rescue equipment.

9:03 am – Flight 7C2216 crashes into embankment after over-shooting the runway.

9:10 am – The Transport Ministry receives an accident report from airport authorities.

9:23 am – One male rescued and transported to a temporary medical facility.

9:38 am – Muan airport is closed.

9:50 am – Rescue completed of a second person from inside tail section of the plane.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Seoul, South Korea:

A Jeju Air plane flying from Bangkok to South Korea with 181 people on board crashed on landing Sunday, leaving all but two people plucked from the wreckage feared dead.

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

A Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to low-cost carrier Jeju Air, flying from Bangkok to Muan airport, was warned of a bird strike by the control tower, officials said, during its first attempt at landing shortly after 9:00 am (midnight GMT).

Minutes later, with the pilot issuing a “mayday” warning, it tried to land again, with video showing it attempting a “belly landing” without its landing gear activated.

Dramatic video shows the plane skidding along the runway with smoke trailing out, until it hits a wall at the end and bursts into flames.

What caused the accident?

Investigations have been launched, but officials suspect the accident could have been caused by bird strike and adverse weather conditions.

When asked if the accident happened due to the runway being too short — video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall — one official said this was likely not a factor.

“The runway is 2,800 metres long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues,” they said.

What is a bird strike and how harmful is it?

A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft in flight.

A bird strike can be hazardous to aircraft safety and jets are especially vulnerable to loss of power if birds are sucked into the air intakes, according to the UN agency International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). A number of fatal accidents have occurred globally due to bird strikes.

But in 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 famously ditched in New York’s Hudson River after a bird strike on both of its engines, in an incident widely known as the “Miracle on the Hudson” because there was no loss of life.

Where was the plane coming from?

The plane was flying from Bangkok, Thailand to South Korea’s Muan county, about 288 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of the national capital Seoul.

Passengers on board, survivors

There were a total of 175 passengers and six crew members onboard. Rescue workers plucked out two survivors — both flight attendants — from the wreckage. As of mid-afternoon, 124 people have been confirmed dead.

Officials said there was “little chance of survival,” for others, adding that the plane was “almost completely destroyed,” during the crash.

Rescue operation

Hundreds of firefighters and other emergency responders — including military — were deployed to the area, with the country’s acting president designating the site a special disaster zone.

Authorities said families were waiting at the first floor of the Muan airport. Many were seen crying in despair as they heard the news.

Aviation safety record

South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid safety record and the crash was the first fatal accident for Jeju Air.

A  Jeju Air-operated Bombardier Q400 carrying 74 passengers veered off the runway due to strong winds at another southern airport, Busan-Gimhae on August 12, 2007. A dozen people were injured.

Government response

The accident occurred with South Korea in the throes of a political crisis, with its third president in a month. Acting President Choi Sang-mok, on his third day in office, convened an emergency meeting with cabinet members to discuss the rescue operation and response and visited the crash scene.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Jeju Air plane crash at South Korea’s Muan, the death count of which has climbed to 85 and may go up further, took place moments after the Boeing 737-800 aircraft attempted a belly landing. Videos of the moments before the crash show the plane dragging on its underbody before crashing into a wall. The aircraft, flying from Bangkok in Thailand to Muan, had 181 onboard. The national fire agency has said they have rescued two people and all others are feared dead, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency has reported.

Visuals capturing the plane crash show the aircraft dragging on its belly before it rams a wall and goes up in flames. Pilots attempt belly landing when during a landing gear malfunction. A Yonhap report quoting airport authorities said the pilot tried a crash landing after a regular landing attempt failed. This could have been the result of a bird strike. “Witnesses cited signs that the plane’s landing gear, such as tires, remained unactivated, possibly sending it to attempt a crash landing, with a bird collision presumed to be the cause of the malfunction,” the report said.

Social media users, including former pilots, have raised several questions. One of them is the plane’s high speed when landing on a runway less than 3 km long. Others have asked why firefighters are not in position near the runway if it was a planned belly landing. There is another question, the aircraft trajectory shows the plane did not circle before attempting a belly landing, considered a last-ditch manoeuvre. Planes hit by technical malfunction usually circle the airport as the pilots try to figure out a solution. In this case, however, that was not done.

Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, told the media that bad weather contributed to the tragedy. “The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation,” he said.

Low-cost airline Jeju Air apologised for the crash and said it would all it could to help. “We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern,” the airline said in a statement posted on social media.

South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok said, “I believe no words of consolation would suffice for the bereaved families who have suffered this tragedy. The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident, dedicating all available resources, while making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families”

Seoul, South Korea:

A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Jeju Air, crashed at the Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning, killing at least 85 people onboard. A harrowing video shows the moment the twin-engine plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a wall. The aircraft immediately burst into flames.

Within seconds, huge black smoke rose into the sky. Visuals also showed flames engulfing parts of the plane.

In the video, it appears the aircraft attempted a ‘belly landing’ (without its landing gear fully extended), seconds before the crash.

DRAMATIC moment South Korean plane with reported 180+ passengers becomes a fireball and crashes at airport CAUGHT on cam pic.twitter.com/VdrdavEXgT

— RT (@RT_com) December 29, 2024

The plane was carrying 181 passengers, including six crew members. Two people, a passenger and a flight attendant, have been found alive so far, local media reported.

The rescue operations are underway with authorities trying to evacuate passengers from the rear section of the jet. Emergency services at the airport began operations around 9 am after the aircraft crashed. At least 32 fire trucks and scores of firefighters have been deployed at the crash site.

Also Read | Video: Passenger Captures Moments Before And After Plane Crash In Kazakhstan

According to the online flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, the plane was travelling from Bangkok to Muan.

Yonhap News Agency is reporting a Jeju Air 737 went off the runway after landing in Muan. This appears to be #7C2216 from Bangkok operated by a 737-800. https://t.co/Nyf9IuyxmA https://t.co/QkNX4B8eNF pic.twitter.com/LCIUktDbHN

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 29, 2024

South Korean acting President Choi Sang-Mok ordered all-out rescue efforts. “All related agencies must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he instructed officials in a statement. 

His chief of staff also convened an emergency meeting over the incident.

The crash is believed to have been caused by contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear.