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| ▲ In this Associated Press photo, firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, on Dec. 29, 2024. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Flames rise from the wreckage of the Jeju Air passenger plane that crashed at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Dec. 29, 2024, in this photo provided by a Yonhap reader. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
plane crash-witness account
Eyewitnesses report sparks in engine, explosions before plane crash in Muan
By Yi Wonju
MUAN, South Korea, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- Witnesses to a deadly plane crash in South Korea's southwestern county of Muan on Sunday reported seeing flames in the jet's engine and hearing multiple explosions before the incident.
The Jeju Air flight veered off the runway while landing and collided with a fence wall at Muan International Airport in the Muan county, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, at around 9:07 a.m.
Videos aired by local TV stations show the plane attempting to land without its landing gear deployed.
Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was staying at a rental house near the airport, said he saw a spark on the plane's right wing before the crash.
"I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion," Yoo said.
Another witness, identified only by his last name Cho, said he was taking a stroll 4.5 kilometers from the airport when the accident took place.
"I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light," Cho said. "Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions."
Another witness, Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane failed to land in the first attempt and had circled back for another before the crash.
Kim recalled he heard the sound of "metallic scraping" twice about five minutes before the crash.
Kim said he looked up at the sky and saw the plane ascending after failing to make a landing, before he heard a "loud explosion" and saw "black smoke billowing into the sky."
Officials believe the landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. Police and firefighting authorities began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause.
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