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Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Victims' families criticise report blaming pilot error for Jeju Air crash
Agencies An investigation into South Korea's deadliest air disaster has found that a pilot mistakenly shut off the wrong engine, local media has reported. All but two of the 181 people on board Jeju Air Flight 2216 were killed when it crashed into a barrier in December while attempting to land at Muan International Airport, following a bird strike on one of its engines. The release of the investigation, scheduled for last weekend, has been delayed after protests from the families of the victims who were briefed on its findings. They accused investigators of pinning the blame on the pilot while ignoring other contributing factors. On the morning of 29 December, the pilots of Flight 2216 reported a bird strike and made a mayday call as their aircraft approached the runway. The pilots then tried to land from the opposite direction. Video showed the plane making a belly landing - without landing gear - and skidding along the runway into a concrete barrier. The aircraft's two engines were sent to France in March for analysis. The recent findings from South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board found that a pilot had turned off the left engine - which had no defects - instead of the right engine, which was severely damaged by the bird strike. However, families of the victims said that the report did not mention the concrete barrier at the end of the runway, which they argued is what made the accident so devastating. 'The bereaved families seek a fair and transparent investigation into the accident,' they said in a statement, and urged investigators to conduct a press briefing 'only after a full and careful examination has been completed'. In a statement on Sunday, the Jeju Air pilots' union similarly criticised the recent findings for allegedly focusing on pilots' misjudgement and downplaying other contributing factors. A source with knowledge of the probe, however, told Reuters that investigators would not change their findings as they had 'clear evidence and backup data'. Following the crash, South Korea's transport ministry said in January that it would remove concrete barriers at seven airports. In May, families of the victims lodged a criminal complaint against Jeju Air chief executive Kim E-bae, citing professional negligence. Mr Kim is among 24 people being investigated over the accident.
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Victims' families criticise report blaming pilot error for Jeju Air crash
SINGAPORE — An investigation into South Korea's deadliest air disaster has found that a pilot mistakenly shut off the wrong engine, local media has reported. All but two of the 181 people on board Jeju Air Flight 2216 were killed when it crashed into a barrier in December while attempting to land at Muan International Airport, following a bird strike on one of its engines. The release of the investigation, scheduled for last weekend, has been delayed after protests from the families of the victims who were briefed on its findings. They accused investigators of pinning the blame on the pilot while ignoring other contributing factors. On the morning of 29 December, the pilots of Flight 2216 reported a bird strike and made a mayday call as their aircraft approached the runway. The pilots then tried to land from the opposite direction. Video showed the plane making a belly landing - without landing gear - and skidding along the runway into a concrete barrier. The aircraft's two engines were sent to France in March for analysis. The recent findings from South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board found that a pilot had turned off the left engine - which had no defects - instead of the right engine, which was severely damaged by the bird strike. However, families of the victims said that the report did not mention the concrete barrier at the end of the runway, which they argued is what made the accident so devastating. "The bereaved families seek a fair and transparent investigation into the accident," they said in a statement, and urged investigators to conduct a press briefing "only after a full and careful examination has been completed". In a statement on Sunday, the Jeju Air pilots' union similarly criticised the recent findings for allegedly focusing on pilots' misjudgement and downplaying other contributing factors. A source with knowledge of the probe, however, told Reuters that investigators would not change their findings as they had "clear evidence and backup data". Following the crash, South Korea's transport ministry said in January that it would remove concrete barriers at seven airports. In May, families of the victims lodged a criminal complaint against Jeju Air chief executive Kim E-bae, citing professional negligence. Mr Kim is among 24 people being investigated over the accident. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
14-05-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Plane crash victims' families file complaint against Jeju Air CEO
SEOUL — Some families of those killed in a Jeju Air plane crash last December have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people, including South Korea's transport minister and the airline's CEO, for professional negligence. The 72 bereaved relatives are calling for a more thorough investigation into the crash, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board - making it the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil. The crash was "not a simple accident", they allege, but a "major civic disaster caused by negligent management of preventable risks". Nearly five months on, authorities are still studying what may have caused the plane to crash-land at Muan International Airport and then burst into flames. The police had already opened a criminal investigation before this latest complaint, and barred Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae from leaving the country, but no one has been indicted over the incident. One of the relatives, Kim Da-hye, denounced the "lack of progress" in investigations. "We are filled with deep anger and despair. Having taken this extraordinary measure of filing a criminal complaint, we will not give up and will continue to pursue the truth," Mr Kim said in a statement to the media. Among the 15 people named in the complaint were government officials, airline officials and airport staff responsible for construction, supervision, facility management and bird control. The complaint filed on Tuesday raises questions around the circumstances of the crash, including whether air traffic control responded appropriately and whether the reinforcement of a mound at the end of the runway violated regulations. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, took off from the Thai capital of Bangkok on the morning of 29 December, and was flying to Muan in South Korea. Five minutes after the pilots made contact with Muan International Airport, they reported striking a bird and declared a mayday signal. The pilots then tried to land from the opposite direction, during which the aircraft belly-landed without its landing gear deployed. It later overran the runway, slammed into a concrete structure and exploded. Earlier this year, investigators said they found bird feathers in both engines of the jet, but did not conclude the extent to which the bird strike was a contributing factor. Since the incident, some bereaved families have also been targeted by a torrent of conspiracies and malicious jokes online. These included suggestions that families were "thrilled" to receive compensation from authorities, or that they were "fake victims". As of March this year, eight people have been apprehended for making such derogatory and defamatory online posts. — BBC
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Plane crash victims' families file complaint against Jeju Air CEO
Some families of those killed in a Jeju Air plane crash last December have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people, including South Korea's transport minister and the airline's CEO, for professional negligence. The 72 bereaved relatives are calling for a more thorough investigation into the crash, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board - making it the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil. The crash was "not a simple accident", they allege, but a "major civic disaster caused by negligent management of preventable risks". Nearly five months on, authorities are still studying what may have caused the plane to crash-land at Muan International Airport and then burst into flames. They lost their families in a plane crash - then came the online hate Could a bird strike have caused S Korea plane crash? The police had already opened a criminal investigation before this latest complaint, and barred Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae from leaving the country, but no one has been indicted over the incident. One of the relatives, Kim Da-hye, denounced the "lack of progress" in investigations. "We are filled with deep anger and despair. Having taken this extraordinary measure of filing a criminal complaint, we will not give up and will continue to pursue the truth," Mr Kim said in a statement to the media. Among the 15 people named in the complaint were government officials, airline officials and airport staff responsible for construction, supervision, facility management and bird control. The complaint filed on Tuesday raises questions around the circumstances of the crash, including whether air traffic control responded appropriately and whether the reinforcement of a mound at the end of the runway violated regulations. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, took off from the Thai capital of Bangkok on the morning of 29 December, and was flying to Muan in South Korea. Five minutes after the pilots made contact with Muan International Airport, they reported striking a bird and declared a mayday signal. The pilots then tried to land from the opposite direction, during which the aircraft belly-landed without its landing gear deployed. It later overran the runway, slammed into a concrete structure and exploded. Earlier this year, investigators said they found bird feathers in both engines of the jet, but did not conclude the extent to which the bird strike was a contributing factor. Since the incident, some bereaved families have also been targeted by a torrent of conspiracies and malicious jokes online. These included suggestions that families were "thrilled" to receive compensation from authorities, or that they were "fake victims". As of March this year, eight people have been apprehended for making such derogatory and defamatory online posts.
Korea Herald
17-02-2025
- Korea Herald
Jeju Air CEO undergoes police questioning over deadly airplane crash
The chief of Jeju Air Co. has undergone police questioning over the deadly December crash of the company's passenger jet that claimed 179 lives, officials said Monday. The Jeonnam Provincial Police recently questioned CEO Kim E-bae as a witness over the crash at Muan International Airport in the southwestern county of Muan on Dec. 29. Of the total 181 people on board, only two survived. Police are said to have focused their questioning on the operations and safety management of the aircraft of the crash, with Kim reportedly saying there had been no issues regarding the safety, maintenance and operations of the jet. The police have called in various officials from the budget carrier, the airport, the transport ministry and relevant agencies to investigate the exact cause of the accident. They are currently focusing their investigation on the airport's localizer that the aircraft crashed into. The Boeing 737-800 jet from Bangkok erupted into flames after crashing into the structure that assists aircraft navigation as it overshot the runway when it made an emergency belly landing at the airport. (Yonhap)
