Unraveling the Mystery: Could a Bird Strike Have Caused the South Korean Plane Disaster?

Over 170 individuals have perished following a aircraft mishap during landing in South Korea on Sunday morning.

The Jeju Air aircraft veered off the runway prior to striking a wall at Muan International Airport located in the south-western part of the nation.

The aircraft, returning from Bangkok, Thailand, was transporting 181 individuals – 179 of whom lost their lives, while two crew members managed to survive the wreckage.

Officials are examining the factors contributing to the incident, which fire authorities suspect may have been a result of a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. Nevertheless, experts caution that several elements could have led to the crash.

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

The aircraft reached Muan around 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

A transportation official in South Korea indicated that the aircraft was in the process of landing when it was compelled to delay after air traffic control issued a bird strike caution – a warning regarding the probability of a collision with birds.

Approximately two minutes later, the pilot issued a Mayday, and air traffic control authorized the aircraft to land from an alternate direction, the official noted.

A passenger aboard the flight texted a family member, claiming a bird “was caught in the wing” and that the aircraft was unable to land, as reported by local media.

A video appears to capture the aircraft making contact with the runway without deploying its wheels or any standard landing apparatus. It glided down the runway and collided with a wall, subsequently igniting into flames.

A witness informed the South Korean news service Yonhap that they detected a “loud bang” followed by a “succession of explosions”.

Clips from the incident reveal the aircraft engulfed in flames with smoke rising into the atmosphere. Emergency services have since extinguished the blaze.

Lee Jeong-hyun, the head of the Muan fire service, conveyed in a televised briefing that the tail end of the aircraft was distinguishable but “one cannot identify the configuration of the remainder of the aircraft”.

He mentioned that the bird strike and inclement weather could have contributed to the mishap, yet the precise reason is still under examination. The flight and cockpit voice recorders from the aircraft have been retrieved.

The executive of Jeju Air’s management stated that the incident did not stem from “any maintenance problems,” as per reports from the Yonhap news agency.

The South Korean transport authority noted that the chief pilot on the flight had been in the position since 2019 and had accrued more than 6,800 hours of flying experience.

A bird strike refers to an incident where a flying aircraft collides with a bird. These occurrences are quite frequent – in the UK, over 1,400 bird strikes were documented in 2022, with about 100 significantly impacting the aircraft, according to information from the Civil Aviation Authority.

The most notable bird strike took place in 2009 when an Airbus aircraft made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River following a collision with a flock of geese. All 155 individuals on board were unharmed.

Professor Doug Drury, who instructs aviation at CQUniversity Australia, highlighted in a piece for The Conversation this summer that Boeing aircraft utilize turbofan engines, which can suffer significant damage during a bird strike.

He stated that pilots receive training to be particularly alert during the early morning or at dusk, as these are times when birds are most active.

The aircraft was transporting 175 passengers along with six crew members. Two of the passengers were Thai nationals, while the remainder was believed to be South Korean, officials have reported. Many are thought to have been returning from a holiday celebration in Thailand.

The official count of fatalities is 179 – making it the most lethal air disaster in South Korean history.

All passengers and four crew members lost their lives.

Authorities have currently managed to identify at least 88 bodies.

Among the deceased, five were children under the age of 10. The youngest confirmed passenger was a three-year-old boy, while the oldest was 78, as indicated by the passenger list.

South Korea’s National Fire Agency reported that two crew members – one male and one female – survived the incident. They were located in the tail section of the aircraft post-crash and were transported to medical facilities, according to reports.

More than 1,500 emergency responders have been activated for the recovery operations, consisting of 490 fire personnel and 455 police officers. They have been scouring the vicinity surrounding the runway for fragments of the aircraft and individuals who were on board.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok has proclaimed a special disaster area in Muan, enabling central government assistance for the local government and affected families.

All flights to and from Muan International Airport have been suspended.

Families who lost loved ones in the crash have been arriving at the airport in the hopes of gathering information regarding their relatives’ fate. Video footage from Reuters depicts officials announcing the victims’ names aloud.

Airport officials and the Red Cross have established over a dozen tents at the airport to provide mourning families with privacy to grieve.

Sounds of weeping reverberated throughout the terminal. Some are exasperated at the delay in body identification.

Jeju Air has expressed remorse to the families. Its CEO mentioned in a press briefing that the airline had a clean accident record. It is understood that the crash from Sunday marks the sole fatal incident since the airline commenced operations in 2005.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has extended its sympathies to those impacted.

Choi, the acting president of South Korea, stated: “I convey my heartfelt condolences to the numerous victims of this tragedy. I will strive to ensure the swift recovery of the injured.”

The government has announced a national mourning period for the nation lasting seven days, during which flags at government properties will be flown at half-staff.