Seoul – Fear again in the skies over South Korea! Just one day after the serious accident that left 197 dead, a Jeju Air plane had to turn back shortly after takeoff. The reason given was chassis problems.
The aircraft is a Boeing 737-800 – the same model that was involved in Sunday’s serious disaster.
At the airport in Muan (South Korea), makeshift accommodation was provided for the relatives of the plane disaster
▶︎ Domestic flight 7C101 was on its way to Jeju Island in the south of the Korean peninsula on Monday at 6:37 a.m. (local time) from Gimpo – west of the capital Seoul. Less than an hour after takeoff, the pilot informed the 161 passengers on board of a mechanical problem that appeared to be caused by a defective landing gear. This is reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap. The plane then returned to Gimpo International Airport and landed there safely at 7:25 a.m. (local time).
21 passengers refuse a replacement flight
The passengers were then transferred to another aircraft of the same type, Boeing 737-800, which departed for Jeju at 8:30 a.m. (local time). However, 21 passengers decided not to board “for safety reasons,” the newspaper reports.The Korea Times“.
Bird strike, late landingWhy did Flight 7C2216 crash?
According to Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air’s management support office, the pilot immediately informed the ground control center after noticing the landing gear problem. Song: “Although the landing gear was confirmed to be functioning normally after additional measures, the captain decided to return to the airport for a safety check.”
Investigators are securing traces at the scene of the accident. The analysis of the cause could take months, South Korean media report
Meanwhile, investigators continue to search for the cause of Sunday’s fatal crash. So far it is assumed that a bird strike – i.e. a collision with one or more birds – led to problems with the chassis.
Luggage from the crashed plane at Muan International Airport
Government wants to inspect all Boeing 737-800s
South Korea’s government now wants to have all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic airlines inspected to determine whether the airlines are adhering to the applicable regulations for this aircraft type, the Ministry of Transport announced. This includes checking maintenance records and usage rates. 39 of 41 aircraft in the Jeju Air fleet are of this model.
After Sunday’s fatal crash, Boeing said it was in contact with Jeju Air and was “ready to support them.”