'Saw Flash Of Light...Then Loud Bang': Eyewitnesses Recount Moment Leading To South Korea Plane Crash
A witness who was staying at a rental house near the airport said he saw a spark on the plane's right wing before the crash.
A Jeju Air flight flying from Bangkok carrying 181 passengers and crew crashed while it attempted to land at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea, on Sunday morning. Witnesses said that they saw flames in the jet's engine and heard several explosions.
Local fire authorities report that all but two individuals onboard Flight 7C2216 are presumed dead. Two survivors were rescued from the tail section and are currently receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital. Of the 175 passengers onboard, 173 were identified as Korean nationals, and two were Thai nationals, according to officials.
The Boeing 737-800 attempted a belly landing at 9:03 am local time since its landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft skidded along the runway before it hit the airport’s perimeter wall. It broke into two pieces at the front and tail sections and burst into flames.
Yoo Jae-yong, 41, was staying at a rental house near the airport, said he saw a spark on the plane's right wing before the crash.
"I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion," Yoo told Yonhap News Agency.
Meanwhile, another witness, Cho, said he was taking a stroll about 4.5 kilometres from the airport when the accident occurred. He said he saw the plane descend and assumed it was about to land when he noticed a flash of light.
"Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions," he was quoted by Yonhap.
Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said that the plane failed to land on the first attempt and had circled back for another before the crash occurred. He recalled that he heard the sound of "metallic scraping" twice about five minutes before the crash.
Kim told Yonhap that when he looked up at the sky and saw the plane ascending after failing to land, it was followed by a “loud explosion” and “black smoke billowing into the sky”.
A local fire official suggested that the crash was likely caused by a combination of a ‘bird strike’ – a collision between a bird and the aircraft – and adverse weather conditions. The report said that the bird strike may have damaged the landing gear, leading to its failure. The flight reportedly attempted one landing but had to execute a "go-around" when the landing gear failed to deploy properly. Police and firefighting authorities began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause
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