South Korea ordered a “comprehensive inspection” of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by its carriers on Monday, after the death of 179 people in the plane accident involving Jeju Air. U.S. air safety experts and Boeing personnel participated in the investigation into South Korea’s deadliest aviation accident. The primary cause of the incident at present is attributed to the fact that an airplane collided with a bird.
A mayday was made and the plane subsequently belly-landed straight into a wall and burst into flames on going from Thailand to South Korea. Only two flight attendants survived. South Korea has begun a seven-day mourning period, during which flags fly at half-mast, and Acting President Choi Sang-mok will visit the site of the Muan crash to hold a memorial. According to Choi, who has only just been sworn in, the government would work hard to identify the victims and support their families.
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Choi, an unelected bureaucrat, has called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash and announced an urgent safety inspection of the overall aircraft operation system. The black boxes of Flight 2216 have been found. According to Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan, critical systems maintenance records like that of engines and landing gear will be reviewed and intensely scrutinized till January 3, 2025, for 101 aircraft that are operated by six airlines using the same model.
Some relatives of the victims stayed the night at the airport, hoping for updates. Some of those who mourned stayed at the crash site itself while soldiers were sent to search. Korean nationals made up most of the 179 passengers on the flight, which also had two Thais, aged between three and 78 years.