Hundreds dead and unanswered questions after Jeju Air jet crashes into wall and bursts into flames at Muan International Airport
Leading aviation safety expert David Learmount is clear: Learmount called the “defining moment” of the tragedy the impact with the wall. “Not only is there no excuse, but I think it’s bordering on criminal to have (the wall) there,”
According to Learmount when the pilot dropped the plane to the ground, despite the high speed. “The pilot brought it down well, given the conditions. They are going very fast but the plane is intact as it touches the ground,” he said. Hitting the wall the plane disintegrated. “This kind of construction should not be there. It’s terrible,” Learmount pointed out.
“And I think everyone would have been alive… the pilots might have taken some damage going through the security fence, but I suspect they might have survived.”
BREAKING: Video shows crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea. 181 people on board
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Because the wall was there
Muan International Airport, which opened in 2007 and has become a busy regional hub in the southern part of the country, is operated by the state-owned Korea Airports Corporation.
Satellite maps show that the concrete structure has been located for many years at the southern end of the runway near the perimeter fence. It was the basis of a landing gear that helps pilots land at night or when visibility is poor.
In most airports these systems are installed in collapsible structures. “There was plenty of room for the aircraft to slow down and stop,” he said.
Another aviation expert, Sally Gethin, said she shared concerns about the wall’s location but disagreed that all would have survived. “It seemed to maintain speed, so even if there was more space at the end of the runway it could have been catastrophic,” he said.
For his part, the country’s Deputy Transport Minister Joo Jong-wan said the length of the runway – 2,800 meters – was not a contributing factor in the crash and argued that the end walls were built to industry standards.
: Relatives of passengers aboard a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 react near a makeshift shelter at Muan International Airport in Muan, located approximately 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
The Boeing 737-800, which was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea,…
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