By Euronews | Created at 2024-12-30 19:36:23 | Updated at 2025-01-02 17:02:03
2 days ago
Air safety expert David Learmount said the tragedy did not happen because of the fault of the landing gear, but because of a concrete structure near the runway.
The plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball on Sunday. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed.
Learmount claimed the tragedy did not happen because of the fault of the landing gear, but because of a concrete structure next to the runway.
"Whatever happened to the aeroplane, which meant that the pilot couldn't get the flaps and gear down for the landing, was not actually what caused the death of the passengers. The passengers were killed by hitting a solid structure just over the end of the runway where a solid structure should not be," Learmount said.
He added that video of the crash shows "the aircraft being put down beautifully with wings perfectly level, it was sliding on its belly."
"He (the pilot) had to land particularly fast, that's why the aircraft went over the end of the runway. That's why - because aircraft occasionally will go over the end - you don't put solid structures immediately in the overrun."
The concrete structure contained the landing system antennas which are used to guide the aircraft to the runway at night or in bad weather.
Those antennas are normally just stuck in the ground, Learmoun said, suggesting the tragedy could have been prevented.
Officials said they will look into whether the airport’s landing system antennas should have been encased with lighter materials that would break more easily on impact.
Similar concrete structures have been found in other domestic airports as well as in the United States, Spain and South Africa, authorities reported.
South Korean officials said on Monday they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airlines.
