A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport on December 29, 2022. It was one of the deadliest plane crashes in South Korean history. Pilot error and a bird strike caused the crash, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board. After the event, families who lost loved ones have been pursuing justice, there has been a long investigation, and there are still questions about the plane’s upkeep, safety rules, and the state of the runway. We’ll talk about the crash, the investigation’s results, the families’ legal actions, and the ongoing search for accountability in this blog.
Crash Overview and Pilot Mistakes
The Jeju Air flight JC-2216 was on its way from Bangkok to Muan Airport when it hit a flock of birds while landing. The crash caused one engine to fail, but the other kept running, though with less power. Unfortunately, the pilot turned off the wrong engine—the one that was working—leaving the plane with no working engines.
Because of this, the plane couldn’t keep enough power during its emergency landing. The plane couldn’t extend its landing gear and came in at a very high speed. The plane went too far past the runway when it landed, hit a concrete embankment, and exploded into a fireball. A flight attendant and one other crew member were the only ones who made it through the fire.
Investigation Results
The South Korea Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) found that pilot error was the main reason for the crash. The report said that:
- The bird strike broke one engine, and the pilot mistakenly turned off the left engine, which was still working, instead of the right engine, which had been damaged.
- This caused a complete loss of power and the landing gear to fail to deploy, making the emergency landing attempt even harder.
- Four minutes before the crash, the power to the plane’s flight data and voice recorders was cut off, making it harder to investigate.
- Investigators also found that the pilot broke safety rules by trying a dangerous turnaround after the bird strike and making an emergency belly landing.
The results were similar to the 1989 Kegworth crash, where pilots also accidentally shut down the wrong engine, killing people.
Families’ Response and Legal Action
After the tragedy, the victims’ families have taken legal action to hold those responsible accountable. They have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people, including South Korea’s transport minister, airline safety representatives, and airport staff, saying that they were careless in how they handled safety.
The families want a more in-depth look into the crash because they are not sure if the construction of the runway embankment and the response to the bird strike were done correctly. The families say that the investigation’s focus on pilot error ignores other possible causes of the crash, even though the investigation came to those conclusions.
Kim Yu-Jin, who leads the group of grieving families, said the report wasn’t convincing and asked investigators to give them more evidence to back up their claims. The families are determined to keep fighting for justice and openness.
Legal and Political Implications
The crash has led to a bigger discussion in South Korea about who is accountable for aviation safety and how to keep it safe. Families want a more thorough look into how the decisions that led up to the incident were made, including what air traffic controllers did, how the plane was maintained, and whether the runway embankment broke safety rules.
The Jeju Air pilots’ union has also spoken out, saying that the ARAIB is only looking at pilot mistakes and not at other problems, like the roles of the Korea Airports Corporation and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.
The investigation into the crash is still going on, and it will have wider effects. The ARAIB is looking into the pilots’ emergency training and readiness even more, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Korea Airports Corporation are still being looked into by the police.
A criminal investigation was also started before the families filed their complaint, and Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae is not allowed to leave the country. No one has been charged with the crime, which makes the families even more upset that nothing is happening.
Emotional Toll on Victims’ Families
The victims’ families have been through a lot of emotional pain. Some of the victims’ family members have been the target of malicious online attacks, with some people making false claims that the families were “thrilled” by the money they received or were “fake victims.” In response, the police have arrested a number of people who were responsible for posting false information online.
The families are still grieving and still fighting for justice. Kim Yu-Jin said, “When investigators take a position, they should have documents that back up their position and convince the family that their conclusions are unavoidable.”
The Jeju Air crash is similar to the 2015 TransAsia Airways Flight 235 disaster in Taipei, where pilots unintentionally shut down the wrong engine, killing 43 people. Both events show how important it is for pilots to be trained and make good decisions in emergencies.
Final Review
The crash of Jeju Air at Muan Airport is a terrible tragedy that has left families in mourning and looking for answers. The investigation has found that pilot error was the main cause, but there are still questions about safety procedures, runway conditions, and how well the plane was maintained. The families of the victims are still pushing for a more thorough investigation and holding everyone involved accountable.
It is important to look at all the things that led to the crash and hold those who failed to keep people safe accountable as the investigation goes on. The families’ fight for justice shows how important it is for aviation safety investigations to be open and thorough.
