Apparent technical malfunction comes a day after the same model of Jeju Air plane belly-landed and exploded, killing 179
South Korean airline Jeju Air encountered another incident involving its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on Monday, according to local media. It happened just a day after a deadly crash at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla province, about 180 miles southwest of Seoul.
Flight 7C 101, which took off from the capital’s Gimpo International Airport at 6:37 am with 161 passengers on board, reported a malfunction with its landing gear shortly after departure. In response to the safety concern, the crew opted to return to Gimpo. The plane landed without any additional complications and the passengers were transferred to another aircraft, which departed for Jeju Island about two hours later.
“The turnaround was a necessary measure for safe operation…We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our passengers,” an unnamed Jeju Air representative told JoongAng Daily.
The aircraft that malfunctioned on Monday was a Boeing 737-800, the same model involved in Sunday’s tragic accident at Muan. That crash, one of the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korea’s history, claimed 179 lives. Two crew members survived and are being treated for injuries.
Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216, returning from Bangkok, Thailand, with 175 passengers and six crew members, crash-landed at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning. The aircraft veered off the runway, struck a perimeter fence, and exploded on impact.
The cause of the tragedy is currently under investigation, with preliminary findings pointing to a landing-gear malfunction. Local media outlets had reported that authorities believed the airliner was struck by a flock of birds, leading to a malfunction in its landing gear. Aviation experts questioned this theory in a report from Reuters.
Boeing 737-800s are primarily used by low-cost domestic airlines. Jeju Air currently operates 39 of these aircraft, while a total of 62 are collectively flown by T’way Air, Jin Air, Eastar Jet, Air Incheon, and Korean Air.
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is set to conduct a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 jets operated by the country’s air carriers, Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
