Jeju Air Boeing 737 Fatal Crash-landing in South Korea

‍DALLAS — A Jeju Air (7C) Boeing 737-800 aircraft veered off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport (MWX) in South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday. ‍

CNN initially reported that at least 28 souls perished and that South Jeolla province Fire Service Headquarters expected more casualties. The latest figures show that National Fire Agency rescue workers have retrieved 120 bodies—59 are still missing.

The accident, one of the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korean history, occurred around 9:03 a.m. (7 p.m. EST) after a failed crash-landing as the plane returned from Bangkok, Thailand, carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants. MWX, located in southern South Korea, became the site of an extensive rescue operation following the crash.

Footage of the crash shows the 7C Boeing 737-800 skidding the runway with its landing gear up, meaning it was belly landing gone horribly wrong—the Boeing jet reached the end of the runway with nowhere else to go but into a perimeter wall, breaking apart and bursting into flames upon impact.

The flight was identified as 7C2216, operating the Boeing 737-8AS jet with registration HL8088, MSN 3012, originally delivered to Ryanair (FR) in September 2009 as EI-EFR before joining 7C’s fleet  in 2017.

This is the same aircraft for Flight 7C8135, which squawked 7700 and diverted to Seoul enroute to Beijing from Jeju on December 27. As confirmed by Radarbox aviation data, this plane had recently been in service on the Bangkok-Muan route. The flight duration from Bangkok (BKK) to MWX is typically about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Photos shared by local media displayed plumes of smoke rising from the aircraft, suggesting significant damage to the fuselage. Two crew members were found alive amidst the wreckage as the rescue mission continues. However, there is little hope of any more survivors; the plane was almost "completely destroyed" by fire.

Jeju Air, a low-cost South Korean airline, operates multiple flights between South Korea and Southeast Asia using its 38-strong Boeing 737-800 fleet minus HL8088. 7C also has two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. MWX has temporarily halted operations as authorities investigate the cause of the accident.

Jeju Air issued an apology on its website for the failed crash-landing at MWX, stating, "We deeply apologize to all those affected by the incident at Muan Airport," adding that it would "make every effort to resolve the situation. We sincerely regret the distress caused."

The carrier also stated that all affected domestic customers can call 080-898-1500 to inquire about the incident. Overseas customers can call 82-1599-8629, and for those in the United States, 1-833-892-0197.

Investigators have recovered the aircraft's data recorder; the voice recorder is still missing. Further updates will be provided as rescue and recovery efforts progress.