South Korea's deadliest plane crash underscores the dangers of bird strikes

Photo: Reuters

A tragic plane crash in South Korea has drawn attention to the dangers of bird strikes on airplanes. On Sunday, Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 787-800, crashed after hitting a flock of birds just before attempting an emergency landing at Muan International Airport. The plane, which was carrying 181 people, crashed after making a belly-flop landing on the runway without its landing gear deployed. It then skidded across the tarmac, struck a concrete wall, and exploded into flames. Tragically, 179 people lost their lives, leaving only two survivors.

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The crash occurred shortly after the pilots told air traffic control that the plane had collided with birds. The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport reported the incident, saying that the pilots declared Mayday, the emergency distress signal, just before the crash.

While bird strikes are a common risk for aircraft, aviation experts say it is very rare for them to cause a crash. Dane Williams, the director of Aviation Safety Asia, explained that it is extremely unlikely for a bird strike to bring down a modern aircraft like the Boeing 787-800. He said that aircraft engines are designed to expel foreign objects, like birds, and keep flying safely. Geoffrey Thomas, the editor-in-chief of Airline Ratings in Australia, also said that a bird strike alone would rarely cause a crash, but he noted that other factors might have been at play in this case.

Investigators believe that the aircraft may have experienced an electrical failure, as the plane stopped sending location data to air traffic control shortly after the pilots declared Mayday. This could indicate that the aircraft was dealing with cascading failures. Thomas pointed out that the plane failed to deploy its flaps or landing gear, and this happened after the pilots were warned of the bird strike. The full cause of the crash will take months to determine, and the investigation will involve both South Korean authorities and the United States National Transportation Safety Board since the Boeing 787-800 was made in the U.S.

The crash is now the deadliest air disaster in South Korean history. Bird strikes, though relatively common, do not usually cause serious accidents. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded 19,400 wildlife strikes, including birds, at U.S. airports in 2023. However, in most cases, bird strikes only cause minor damage to aircraft, which costs the aviation industry about $1.5 billion annually. Thomas explained that bird strikes have become more common as air travel has grown and planes have become quieter, making it harder for birds to hear them coming.

Although bird strikes are not usually dangerous, they have caused several serious accidents. For example, in 2019, investigators found that a bird likely caused the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 by triggering a faulty flight control system. Another well-known incident was the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009, which safely landed in the Hudson River after colliding with birds shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. In 1995, a collision with geese led to the deaths of 24 U.S. and Canadian airmen in Alaska.

Doug Drury, an aviation expert at CQUniversity in Australia, raised several questions about the recent crash, such as why the pilots failed to slow the aircraft during the emergency landing. He also questioned why the plane landed in the opposite direction of the runway and why it landed beyond the normal “landing zone” position. Pilots are trained to slow down the aircraft to just above stall speed to minimise the distance needed for landing, and Drury wondered why the runway wasn’t covered with foam to protect the plane from fire.

Muan International Airport also came under scrutiny. Drury said that the airport should have taken better precautions to scare birds away, such as using loudspeakers that mimic the sound of gunshots, which are commonly used at airports worldwide. A report by South Korea’s Chosun Daily newspaper revealed that an environmental impact assessment had recommended the use of sound cannons, lasers, and warning lights to prevent bird strikes at the airport. However, the implementation of these measures had been delayed due to runway extension work.

Williams from Aviation Safety Asia also suggested that authorities reconsider building airports in areas that overlap with birds' migration routes, especially during winter and summer seasons, when bird activity is higher.

In the wake of the crash, South Korea declared seven days of national mourning. Flags across the country flew at half-mast, and Acting President Choi Sang-mok visited the crash site to pay his respects to the victims. Authorities have tentatively identified 141 of the 179 victims so far.

As investigations continue, officials are considering conducting special inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating in South Korea. Acting President Choi also directed a comprehensive safety inspection of the country’s entire aviation system to prevent future accidents. “As soon as the accident recovery is conducted, the transport ministry is requested to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the entire aircraft operation system to prevent recurrence of aircraft accidents,” he said.
The devastating crash has raised important questions about airport safety, aircraft design, and the potential dangers posed by bird strikes. The investigation will likely provide more answers in the coming months, but for now, South Korea remains in mourning for the victims of the deadliest aviation disaster in its history.