The wreckage of a Jeju Air plane that crashed after veering off the runway can be seen at Muan International Airport in South Korea on December 30, 2024. The image captured by Kim Hong-ji for Reuters paints a somber scene.
In the wake of this tragedy, aviation specialists are raising questions about the airport’s design. The jet, a Boeing 737-800, collided with a mound of dirt and a concrete wall situated just beyond the runway after landing on its belly with no deployed flaps or landing gear. Sadly, only two of the 181 passengers survived the horrific crash that ensued when the aircraft burst into flames upon impact with the wall, which also housed a localizer crucial for runway guidance.
Todd Curtis, who founded Air Safe Media and has a background as a safety engineer at Boeing, remarked, “Such an obstacle makes stopping the plane safely an incredible challenge.” The crash stands as the most catastrophic air disaster in South Korea’s history, and investigators will need months, if not longer, to dissect its cause. They’ll delve into every detail, from the plane’s maintenance logs to pilot schedules and cockpit voice recordings.
Photographed by Kim Soo-hyeon for Reuters, relatives of those who perished are visibly distraught during a briefing at the same airport on the same day.
Early evidence points to a possible bird strike as a factor in engine failure, though experts caution that the inquiry is still in its infancy. There are voices within the aviation field suggesting that the casualty count might have been lower had the aircraft not struck the concrete barrier.
In footage of the flight’s landing, John Cox, an aviation safety adviser and Boeing 737 pilot, notes, “The plane skids along, slowing down quite effectively until it crashes into the wall.” According to Cox, blunt force trauma from the wall impact is likely the primary cause of death for most passengers.
While barriers just beyond airport runways are a standard and advised safety measure, not all are created equal. In places like New York’s LaGuardia Airport, engineered materials known as EMAS are used to safely halt planes that overrun a runway. This material is crushable, designed to slow down an aircraft without causing harm, as seen in 2016 when then-vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s plane was stopped safely by such a system at LaGuardia.
The barrier at Muan International Airport, however, appears neither frangible nor capable of disintegrating upon impact as seen in footage and expert reviews. This detail is bound to be a key point of interest in ongoing investigations.
