Video captures moments before South Korean plane crashes into concrete fence
A Jeju Air flight skidded off the runway before crashing into a concrete fence in South Korea Sunday local time. At least 179 people died in the devastating crash. (Credit: Lee Geun-young/Reuters)
The moment a Jeju Air flight skidded off a runway before crashing into a concrete barrier and bursting into flames at an airport in South Korea was caught on camera.
The crash on Sunday killed 179 people on board. Only two survived, a man and a woman who were both crew members.
Footage aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding — and apparently without its landing gear deployed. The jet overran the runway and hit a barrier, triggering a fiery explosion. Footage showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.
The plane involved was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 passenger jet. It was arriving from Bangkok when the crash happened at 9:03 a.m. local time near the town of Muan, which is about 180 miles south of Seoul.
PLANE VEERS OFF AIRPORT RUNWAY IN SOUTH KOREA AND CRASHES, KILLING 179: REPORTS
Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Kyle Bailey, former a FAA safety team representative in the U.S., told Fox News that it appeared to him that the aircraft was traveling too fast as it skidded on the runway before striking what he believed was a structure that housed instrument landing equipment.
"I think that’s pretty much what spelled disaster for that airplane," he said.
Flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the plane's black box have been retrieved by workers. They will be examined by government experts investigating the cause of the crash and fire, Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said.
Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
While it will likely take months to determine the cause of the crash, Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, said workers were looking into various possibilities, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds.
President Biden issued a statement about the crash on Sunday, offering assistance from the U.S., if necessary.
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024.? (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
"Jill and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life that occurred as a result of the Jeju Airlines accident in Muan, Republic of Korea," Biden said. "As close allies, the American people share deep bonds of friendship with the South Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance."
Transport Ministry officials said the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and had given its pilot permission to land in a different area.
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The plane was destroyed with the tail assembly being the only recognizable part among the wreckage, the fire chief told a televised briefing.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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