South Korea's Jeju Air crash: What caused the massive accident?
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Around 127 people lost their lives, as per the latest reports when South Korea's Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crash landed at the country's Muan Airport on Sunday morning. The plane was on its way from Bangkok with 181 people on board. It's apparently the worst air accident involving a South Korean airline in three decades and would probably be the deadliest ever in the country. The only two survivors identified as of now are flight attendants. Meanwhile, all domestic and international flights at Muan airport stand cancelled.
How did it happen?
As per a video from local media, the plane skidded down with no landing gear. After that, it slammed into a wall, erupting into a fireball. While investigators are looking into whether bird strikes or weather conditions are the reasons for the crash, South Korea's leading news agency, Yonhap, cited authorities saying bird strike is probably the reason for the landing gear malfunctioning. South Korea's fire chief, Lee Jeong-hyon, also reportedly said that the cause of the landing gear failure was adverse weather combined with a bird strike.
Shortly after the plane's pilots declared a mayday (pilots sending out a distress signal indicating a life-threatening emergency, asking for help), the control tower issued a bird strike warning. Apparently, a passenger also texted a relative saying a bird was stuck to the wing of the airline, with the final message being, 'Should I say my last words?'
Why bird strikes cause air accidents
Bird strikes can cause major damage to aeroplanes, especially during landing and takeoff. According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, "Significant damage can be caused to plane's structure and all aircraft are vulnerable to the loss of thrust, which can follow the ingestion of birds into engine air intakes." Airports in coastal locations often have higher bird activity than other airports. Airports often have methods to fight birds off, like habitat management, elimination of trees or shrubs that shelter birds, bird scaring techniques like distress signals, detection techniques to spot large flocking of birds and more. Learn more about bird strike management here.