Accident investigators are currently working to determine the cause of a Jeju Air flight that made a belly-landing without its landing gear down at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea. This incident resulted in the tragic deaths of all but two of the 181 individuals on board, marking the nation’s worst air disaster in decades.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has directed an urgent inspection of the country’s Boeing 737-800s, the same type of aircraft used for the ill-fated Jeju Air Flight 7C2216.
The Boeing 737-800 is a widely used aircraft globally with a strong safety track record. It predates the Boeing 737 Max, which was involved in two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, leading to the grounding of the model for nearly two years due to issues with a flight-control system.
According to aviation-data firm Cirium, there are approximately 4,400 older Boeing 737-800s in operation worldwide, accounting for about 17% of the commercial passenger jet fleet.
The average age of the Boeing 737-800 fleet is around 13 years, with the most recent planes of this series delivered approximately five years ago.
The aircraft involved in the recent crash was acquired by Jeju Air in 2017 and had previously been operated by Ryanair, a European discount carrier. The plane was approximately 15 years old at the time of the accident.
Aerospace experts believe it is improbable that investigators will discover a design flaw with this long-serving aircraft, as stated by Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm.
The investigation into the incident may extend beyond a year, as the circumstances surrounding the crash have raised more questions than answers, including why the landing gear was not deployed. Even in the event of a hydraulic malfunction, Boeing 737-800 pilots have the capability to manually release the landing gear.
One theory being considered is the possibility of a bird strike that may have disabled one or both engines, leaving the pilots with limited time to respond. Jeff Guzzetti, a retired air safety investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, suggested that the accident could have been less severe if the plane had not encountered a mount of dirt and a hard wall at the end of the runway, which housed a localizer aiding aircraft navigation.
The investigation involves the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Boeing, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to the aircraft’s U.S. manufacturing and certification. However, under international protocols, the country where the accident occurred will lead the overall investigation.
Following calls for inspections on 737-800s operated by South Korean airlines, Boeing shares initially dropped over 4% on Monday but later recovered to close the day down 2.3%.
