JET DISASTER
Horror moment ‘bird strikes doomed plane’ before it skids on runway and explodes into fireball leaving 179 dead
Horror footage captured the plane hit the tarmac and explode
THIS is the horror moment a doomed passenger jet struck a bird before skidding off a runway and exploding - leaving 179 dead.
Awful scenes unfolded in South Korea when a Boeing 737-800's landing gear failed and the plane slammed into the tarmac at Muan International Airport.
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The official death toll is 179 - with all 175 passengers killed, four crew killed, and two crew rescued.
The youngest victim was tragically a three-year-old - with most passengers families returning home from a package holiday to Thailand.
A 60-year-old man was grieving at the airport after five in his family, across three generations, were killed.
What caused the disaster remains a mystery but footage showed the single-aisle plane strike a bird with its right engine as it came in to land in the southwestern city of Muan.
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The pilot then made a mayday call - and had to abort a landing attempt several minutes later.
The undercarriage did not extend when the jet landed on the plane's second attempt - with the fuselage slamming into the runway.
Why the plane's wheels did not drop after the right engine was struck remains a mystery.
Footage then caught the doomed flight's final moments as it skidded off the tarmac, hit an embankment, and exploded in a fireball.
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The packed jet - Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 - was carrying 181 people from Bangkok, Thailand.
Firefighters said two of the six crew members, one man and one woman, survived after being pulled from the tail of the plane.
What caused South Korea plane crash- Shock vid shows ‘bird strike’ & survivor heard ‘explosion’ before deadly landing
The 33-year-old man suffered multiple fractures and is receiving special care following the disaster.
He reportedly told doctors that he had already been rescued when he work up, Yonhap said.
The death toll steadily climbed on Sunday morning to 179 as bodies were pulled from the smouldering wreckage.
Details about the deceased are now beginning to emerge - with two Thai nationals on board and the oldest person being 78.
Tragically, five were children aged under 10 years old with most on the plane being in their 50s and 60s.
Some 82 of the confirmed dead are men and 83 women, while 11 can't be identified as their body is too badly burned.
It comes as...
- Only two people have been survived with 179 feared dead in the horror crash
- Terrifying footage shows the explosion as the Boeing tried a 'belly landing' at Muan International Airport
- Investigators have recovered the jet's Black Box as they try to piece together the cause of the crash
- A heartbreaking final text message asked: 'Should I say my last words?'
- Footage emerged of it striking birds moments before landing - and a survivor said they heard an explosion
- Another horror landing also happened in Canada - and a second in Norway on the same night
Weeping families have been seen gathering at the airport as South Korea comes to terms with its worst air disaster in two decades.
One passenger's final text message has been revealed, with the doomed woman saying: "Just now, should I say my last words?"
The investigation into what exactly happened has now begun with the black box being recovered from the wreck.
Soldiers and emergency services are now combing the runway and surrounding fields to find clues for what caused the crash.
Horrifying footage showed the jet landing on its belly without wheels.
It skids off the runway as smoke pours out from underneath it, before smashing into a wall and exploding in flames.
Fire crews said the crash was so violent that the jet was "almost completely destroyed".
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Passengers and crew were flung out of the plane on impact with the airport barrier and the explosion - leaving little chance of survival, the South Jeolla Fire Service said.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: "The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the deceased is proving difficult.
"The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains."
Muan International Airport is in Muan county, about 179 miles southwest of Seoul.
The accident took place at 9.03am local time - just after midnight UK time - on Sunday.
Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said during a briefing: "The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions.
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"However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation."
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologised with officials bowing in front of cameras and vowing to do all they could to help.
The airline said in a statement: "We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident.
"We sincerely apologise for causing concern."
On board the flight were 175 passengers and six crew.
The head pilot had been in this role since 2019 and had more than 9,800 hours of flight experience, according to the airline.
In the early stages of the investigation the cause of why the undercarriage did not deploy remains a mystery.
The pilot issued a mayday call five minutes before the landing and one minute after a bird strike.
It is not clear why a bird strike would have affected the ability for the wheels to deploy.
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The official said it was "unlikely" the disaster had been caused by a short runway after the plane skidding off the end and hit a wall.
They said: "The runway is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues."
The flight data recorder was found at 11.30am local time, about two and a half hours after the crash, and the cockpit voice recorder was found at 2.24pm, according to South Korea's transport ministry.
Boeing said that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood "ready to support them".
The fire agency said it had mobilised 32 fire engines and scores of firefighters to the scene.
South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok, who only took office Friday, convened an emergency meeting with cabinet and headed to the disaster scene.
He said: "I believe no words of consolation would suffice for the bereaved families who have suffered this tragedy.
"The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident, dedicating all available resources, while making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families."
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A seven-day national mourning period has been announced by the government.
It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.
Timeline of the Muan plane disaster
By James Halpin, foreign news reporter
SOUTH Korea has suffered its deadliest air disaster in two decades as a jet carrying 181 went down with only two survivors.
4.29am - Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 leaves Bangkok carrying tourists coming home from package holidays in Thailand.
8.57am - Pilot receives bird strike warning on approach to Muan International Airport.
8.58am - Pilot issues a mayday call - and witnesses report hearing an "explosion" overheard as video shows an apparent bird strike.
9.00am - Plane aborts first landing attempt on Runway 01.
9.03am - The jet then attempts a second landing on Runway 19 on its belly - and crashes in a fireball.
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