What could have caused the plane crash in South Korea that killed 179 people? According to the services, the crew was warned about a possible collision with birds. Major Michał Fischer, a former pilot, said on TVN24 that based on current knowledge, it can be assumed that this was not the main cause. In his opinion, it was “an accumulation of errors and decisions made by the crew.” – Something must have happened very quickly and unexpectedly that they decided to land – commented Dominik Punda, an airline pilot and flight instructor.
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Polish time, there was a plane crash at Muan airport in South Korea. The Boeing 737-800 plane with 181 people on board veered off the runway during landing and crashed. 179 people died, including all passengers. Two crew members survived. Doctors are fighting for their lives.
Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun said investigators were looking into possible causes of the crash, including the involvement of birds and weather conditions. South Korea's transport ministry said the air traffic control tower warned the pilots of the Jeju Air plane of a possible bird strike shortly before the tragedy.
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Footage from the plane crash in South KoreaReuters
“The accumulation of errors and decisions made”
Reserve Major Michał Fischer, former pilot and lecturer at Collegium Civitas, said on TVN24 that the available recordings show that there was indeed a collision with a bird.
– Witnesses said that the plane had difficulty climbing during the go-around, as if it had a reduced available engine section, power unit section, i.e. only one working engine or the right engine working to a lesser extent – he said.
– You can clearly see that (the plane – ed.) does not have the landing gear extended, there are no flaps extended, there are no slots extended, and the interrupters on the wings are not used – he continued.
– I have the impression that we are dealing with two independent problems here. The incident with the birds is one thing, but why didn't the pilots extend the landing gear, extend the flaps and slots, and didn't use interrupters and spoilers? This seemed to indicate a failure of both hydraulic installations, he continued. He added that it is not impossible that after the collision with the birds, the plane's crew could have panicked because – as he said – “the landing was terrible.”
Major Fiszer said that based on the information available so far, it can be concluded that the bird strike “is not the main cause, it is an accumulation of errors and decisions made by the crew.” He pointed out that if one of the engines was working, the crew should decide to land at another airport.
Major Michał Fiszer on the possible causes of the plane crash in South KoreaTVN24/Reuters
Plane landing “at too high a speed”
Aviation journalist Michał Setlak also analyzed one of the recordings from the moment of the crash on TVN24.
– It can be seen that the plane is most likely attempting an emergency landing. Ground floor on the airport runway at high speed, without landing gear, but it does not stop before the end of the runway, there is still about 200 meters of lawn and then there is the ILS system antenna (a system supporting the landing of aircraft in limited visibility – ed.) on a raised, earth embankment – he said.
– The plane hits the earth embankment and is completely destroyed, (…), here the landing apparently occurred, firstly – at too high a speed, secondly – perhaps far from the beginning of the runway. That's why the plane didn't manage to stop, and the effect was tragic, he said.
Aviation publicist Michał Setlak about the plane crash in South KoreaTVN24/Reuters
“Something must have happened very quickly and unexpectedly.”
Dominik Punda, an airline pilot and flight instructor, said in an interview with TVN24 that bird strikes are most dangerous when planes lose hydraulics.
– So I think it didn't happen here, (…). It all defies logic a bit, because if they had a problem with the hydraulics, they could have extended the landing gear anyway, the high speed could have suggested that they were without a flap, he said.
He added that “something must have happened very quickly and unexpectedly (that – ed.) they decided to land.”
Pilot Dominik Punda on the plane crash in South KoreaTVN24
“There are many more questions than answers at this point.”
The opinions of aviation experts are also quoted by Reuters.
“There are many more questions than answers at this point. Why was the plane going so fast? Why weren't the flaps extended? Why wasn't the landing gear extended?” – wondered Gregory Alegi, an aviation expert and former teacher at the Italian Air Force Academy, quoted by the agency.
Christian Beckert, a flight safety expert and Lufthansa pilot, said one of the videos from the plane suggested most of the plane's braking systems had not been activated, causing a “big problem” and a quick landing.
South Korea's deputy transport minister, Joo Jong-wan, said the length of the 2,800-meter landing strip did not influence the crash. He also assured that the security at its end was built “in accordance with industry standards.”
The most tragic air accident in almost three decades
The president of the South Korean airline Jeju Air apologized for the disaster. During a brief press briefing, Kim E-bae said that supporting the bereaved is currently the top priority.
Boeing also expressed its condolences. She also informed that she is in contact with Jeju Air. It is a low-cost airline founded in 2005.
According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Transport, this is the deadliest air accident involving a South Korean airline in almost three decades.
Main photo source: EPA/PAP