Did chicken strikes contribute to South Korea aircraft crash? What we all know

Greater than 170 folks died after a plane crashed while landing in South Korea on Sunday morning.

The Jeju Air aircraft went off the runway earlier than colliding with a wall at Muan Worldwide Airport within the southwest of the nation.

The aircraft, which was getting back from Bangkok, Thailand, was carrying 181 folks, of whom 179 died, whereas two crew members have been rescued from the wreckage.

Authorities are investigating the reason for the accident, which firefighters stated may have been brought on by a chicken strike and dangerous climate. Nevertheless, consultants have warned that the accident may have been brought on by a lot of elements.

The flight, 7C2216, was a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air, Korea’s hottest low-cost airline.

The aircraft arrived in Muan round 09:00 native time (00:00 GMT).

A South Korean transport official stated the aircraft tried to land however was pressured to attend after air visitors management issued a chicken strike warning – an alert concerning the threat of colliding with birds.

About two minutes later, the pilot known as a mayday and air visitors command cleared the aircraft to land in the wrong way, the official stated.

A passenger on the aircraft despatched a message to a relative, saying a chicken “was caught within the wing” and the aircraft couldn’t land, native media reported.

Video seems to indicate the aircraft touchdown with out utilizing its wheels or another touchdown gear. It skidded off the observe and crashed right into a wall earlier than catching hearth.

A witness instructed South Korea’s Yonhap information company that he heard a “loud bang” adopted by a “collection of explosions.”

Movies from the scene confirmed the aircraft on hearth, with smoke billowing into the sky. Firefighters have since extinguished the hearth.

Lee Jeong-hyun, Muan hearth chief, instructed a televised information briefing that the aircraft’s tail was identifiable however “you can’t acknowledge the form of the remainder of the aircraft.”

He stated chicken strikes and dangerous climate may very well be in charge for the crash, however the precise trigger remains to be beneath investigation. The aircraft’s flight and voice recorders have been recovered.

Jeju Air’s chief government stated the accident was not on account of “upkeep points”, Yonhap information company reported.

South Korea’s transportation division stated the flight’s chief pilot had held the place since 2019 and had greater than 6,800 hours of flight expertise.

A chicken strike is a collision between a flying plane and a chicken. They’re quite common: in the UK, greater than 1,400 chicken strikes have been reported in 2022, of which solely 100 hit the aircraft, in line with data from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Probably the most well-known chicken strike occurred in 2009, when a An Airbus plane ditched in the Hudson River in New York after colliding with a flock of geese. All 155 passengers and crew members survived.

Professor Doug Drury, who teaches aviation at CQUniversity Australia, wrote in an article for The conversation This summer time, Boeing planes are geared up with turbofan engines, which will be severely broken within the occasion of a chicken strike.

He stated pilots are skilled to be particularly vigilant early within the morning or at sundown, when birds are most lively.

The aircraft was carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members. Two of the passengers have been Thai and the others have been believed to be South Korean, authorities stated. Many are believed to be getting back from a Christmas vacation in Thailand.

The official loss of life toll stands at 179, making it the deadliest aircraft crash in South Korean historical past.

All passengers and 4 crew members died.

Authorities have up to now recognized at the least 88 our bodies.

5 of the individuals who died have been youngsters beneath 10 years outdated. The youngest passenger was a three-year-old boy and the oldest was 78, authorities stated, citing the passengers’ manifest.

South Korea’s nationwide hearth company stated two members of the flight crew, a person and a lady, survived the crash. They have been discovered within the tail of the aircraft after the crash and brought to hospital, in line with the discharge.

Greater than 1,500 emergency responders have been deployed as a part of the restoration efforts, together with 490 firefighters and 455 cops. They searched the realm across the runway for components of the aircraft and people on board.

Performing President Choi Sang-mok declared a particular catastrophe zone in Muan, making central authorities funds obtainable to the native authorities and victims.

All flights to and from Muan Worldwide Airport have been canceled.

Households of the crash victims went to the airport hoping to search out out what occurred to their family members. Reuters video footage exhibits officers studying the victims’ names aloud.

Airport authorities and the Crimson Cross arrange greater than a dozen tents on the airport to permit bereaved households to grieve privately.

Crying echoed by way of the terminal. Some are annoyed with the time it takes to determine the our bodies.

Jeju Air apologized to the households. Its chief government instructed a information convention that the airline had no historical past of accidents. Sunday’s crash is believed to be the one deadly accident because the airline launched in 2005.

Plane producer Boeing provided its condolences to these affected.

Choi, South Korea’s appearing president, stated: “I categorical my deepest condolences to the various victims of the incident. I’ll do all the things I can to make sure that the injured recuperate rapidly.”

The federal government has declared a interval of nationwide mourning for the nation for the following seven days, throughout which flags at authorities workplaces will probably be lowered.