What Happened in Final Minutes Before South Korean Plane Crash Disaster: Do They Hold the Key to What Went Wrong?

Mar. 15, 2025

Firefighters and rescue personnel carry the body of a victim near the scene where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024.Photo:JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty

As the investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash of a South Korean passenger plane that killed 179 people on board earlier this week, authorities are piecing together what happened in the final minutes of the doomed flight.

In a previous statement posted to Instagram, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae confirmed the aircraft “caught fire while landing” at Muan International Airport at around 9:03 a.m. local time on Sunday, Dec. 29.

As South Korean news agencyYonhapandCNNpreviously reported, the aircraft carrying 175 passengers and six crew members was flying in from Bangkok when it “veered off the runway” after landing and “collided” with a concrete fence at the airport. Two people,a pair of flight attendants, were reportedly the only survivors and rescued with “mid to severe” injuries.

Then, at 8:59 a.m., the pilots responded with an emergency “mayday mayday mayday” and “bird strike, bird strike, go-around.“A minute later, one of the pilots aboard the plane said he would do a go-around and asked the control tower to authorize the aircraft to land on runway 19 — meaning it would make a 180-degree loop and approach from the opposite end of the runway, Reuters and theJournalreported.

At 9:01 a.m., the control tower granted the pilots approval for the new landing.

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An investigator inspects the wreckage of Jeju Air Co. Flight 2216 at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Korea, on Dec. 30, 2024.SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty

SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty

Then, at 9:03 a.m., Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which didn’t appear to have its landing gear according to footage, overshot the runway, crashed into the concrete structure and burst into flames, added theTimes.At 9:23 a.m., according to authorities, one person was rescued and taken to a medical facility. Twenty-seven minutes later, another person was retrieved from inside the plane’s tail section.

BBC Newsreported officials are theorizing that a bird strike and inclement weather may have been factors in the disaster. According to the same outlet, thevictims’ ages spanned from 3 to 78, while most of the others were in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae said on Dec. 29 that the plane showed “no signs of issues” before the crash,CNNreported.

On the day of the incident,families were seen weeping and wailingas officials read off the names of the crash victims who perished at Muan International Airport, according toCNNandNBC News.

Maeng Gi-su, an uncle of one of the victims, toldBBC Newsthat his nephew and his nephew’s two sons had been in Thailand for a celebratory visit. All three were killed in the crash.

Fire authorities search for the missing and recover the deceased at the site of an accident near Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2024.Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty

Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty

“I can’t believe the entire family has just disappeared,” Maeng told the U.K. outlet. “My heart aches so much.”

“The essence of a responsible response would be renovating the aviation safety systems on the whole to prevent recurrences of similar incidents and building a safer Republic of South Korea,” said acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok, the news agency reported.

In a Dec. 29 X post,Boeing shared a message that read: “We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” the statement continued.

source: people.com