Another Jeju Air plane, a Boeing B737-800, experienced landing gear issues, but managed to return to its original departure airport successfully, reports Yonhap News Agency, citing sources.
The plane, operated by Jeju Air, was in the air on Monday in South Korea, but turned back after the same landing gear problem that was identified on a fatal crash of the same model the previous day was detected. The aircraft, also a Boeing B737-800, had 161 passengers on board, and the crew informed them of the issue before making an emergency landing at Gimpo at 7:25 am local time.
Jeju Air has a fleet of 41 aircraft, with 39 of them being Boeing B737-800s.
Just yesterday, a Boeing B737-800 of the same airline, flight 7C2216, was on a flight from Bangkok to Muan, but the plane attempted to land at the destination airport, then crashed into a wall and exploded, killing 179 people. Rescue teams managed to save only two survivors, both of whom were crew members, as per reports. Most of the passengers were South Korean citizens, with two from Thailand. The crash was the deadliest in South Korea’s history.
According to Yonhap, the suspected cause of the accident could be the failure of all three landing gears. Some experts also told the agency that a possible cause of the crash could be a faulty function triggered by a bird strike, as a video by YTN shows a bird hitting the plane’s engine.
Following the crash, South Korea has declared a week of national mourning, starting on Sunday, December 29, and lasting until January 5, 2025. The authorities of the Republic of Korea have also announced an inspection of all Boeing 737 aircraft in the country.