Summary
South Korea has ordered an emergency inspection of all airline operations and Boeing 737-800 aircraft after a Jeju Air crash killed 179 people in the country’s worst domestic aviation disaster.
The crash occurred during a “belly landing” at Muan airport, where the plane skidded off the runway and struck a wall.
Investigators suspect causes including a bird strike and weather but await analysis of damaged flight recorders.
Jeju Air’s CEO apologized and pledged support for victims’ families, while the nation observes a seven-day mourning period.
I’d love to know what was the thinking behind having a concrete wall at the end of a runway
“Surely no one will ever need this last bit of the runway”
…and now I see this article with the inexplicable statement “The transport ministry said it will ensure a 240-metre (787-ft) long runway safety area at all airports to meet all relevant regulations. The area at Muan airport was about 200 metres long before the crash.” As if a whopping 40 more meters would have made a fuck all amount of difference in this instance