Bird Strike Warning Issued Before Jeju Air Flight Crashes in South Korea, Killing 176 People

A Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, killing 176 individuals and leaving three missing. The tragic incident occurred just minutes after the airport’s control tower issued a bird strike warning, highlighting growing concerns about aviation safety.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the warning was issued at 8:57 a.m., just six minutes before the plane veered off the runway while attempting to land. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, collided with a fence wall at 9:03 a.m. after its landing gear failed to deploy. The pilot declared Mayday at 8:59 a.m. and attempted an emergency landing, but the plane overshot the runway.

The incident has raised questions about the increasing number of bird strikes at South Korean airports. Muan International Airport has reported 10 bird strike incidents between 2019 and August 2023, and other airports in the country have seen a rise in such incidents.

The Ministry of Transport has ruled out the airport’s runway length, stating that the 2,500-meter runway, though shortened due to ongoing construction, was adequate for the aircraft type involved.

The crash is now under investigation, with authorities retrieving the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to determine the exact cause. This tragedy marks the third-deadliest aviation accident in South Korea’s history, following past disasters in 1983 and 1997.