Bird Strike Warning Issued Minutes Before Jeju Air Plane Crash in Muan

A bird strike warning was issued just six minutes before a Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reported Sunday. The crash occurred at approximately 9:07 a.m. when the Boeing 737-800 veered off the runway during landing and collided with a fence wall. The plane had been operating with 175 passengers and six crew members on board. Tragically, 176 people were killed, three remain missing, and two crew members were rescued.

During a press briefing, the ministry detailed the timeline leading up to the crash. The control tower at Muan International Airport issued a bird strike warning to the Jeju Air flight at 8:57 a.m. The pilot declared a mayday at 8:59 a.m. and attempted to land at 9:00 a.m. However, the aircraft crashed three minutes later at 9:03 a.m. The crash occurred after the plane attempted a landing without deploying its landing gear. The pilot was granted clearance to land in the opposite direction on the runway but overshot the runway and collided with a wall.

The ministry dismissed concerns that the shortened runway at Muan International Airport contributed to the crash. While construction has reduced the runway length to 2,500 meters from 2,800 meters, the Boeing 737-800 is capable of landing on runways as short as 1,500 meters. A ministry official stated it was difficult to attribute the accident to the length of the runway, as other planes have been landing without issues.

The Korea Airports Corporation revealed that Muan International Airport has reported 10 bird strike incidents from 2019 to August 2023. Across all 14 domestic and international airports operated by KAC, bird strikes have been increasing, with 152 incidents reported in 2023 compared to 76 in 2020. Efforts such as acoustic deterrents have been used to mitigate risks, but challenges remain.

The transport ministry has dispatched the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board to Muan Airport. Investigators have retrieved the flight data recorder and are working to secure the cockpit voice recorder. Officials caution that it may take months to determine the exact cause of the crash.

The Muan crash is now the third-deadliest aviation accident in South Korea’s history, following the 1983 downing of a Korean Air flight by a Soviet fighter jet, which killed all 269 aboard, and the 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam, which resulted in 225 fatalities. This latest tragedy underscores ongoing challenges in aviation safety, particularly in managing wildlife hazards near airports.