South Korea minister resigns after Jeju Air crash spurred by bird strike that killed 179

On December 29, 2022, a Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, resulting in the deaths of 179 passengers and crew members, with only two survivors. The Boeing 737-800, which was coming from Bangkok, belly-landed and overshot the runway before colliding with a concrete embankment, leading to a massive fire. Preliminary findings indicated that the aircraft had received warnings of possible bird activity prior to the attempted landing, and investigators are now focusing on the reasons behind the aircraft's failure to deploy its landing gear. The South Korean transport ministry announced that the flight recorders had ceased function about four minutes before the airplane hit the runway. This unprecedented event hinders the investigation efforts, which rely heavily on such data to determine the crash's causes. As part of the investigation process, the cockpit voice recorder was initially analyzed locally before being sent to the United States National Transportation Safety Board for more detailed examination. Meanwhile, the flight data recorder was found damaged and unable to provide critical information. Authorities have collected bird feathers from one engine, suggesting a possible bird strike may have contributed to the incident. Investigators are scrutinizing the airport operator, Jeju Air, and the transport ministry to assess their roles in the accident. Notably, the proximity and design of the concrete wall struck by the plane drew scrutiny since many safety regulations suggest such barriers should not be positioned too close to runways. Due to the crash's severity and implications, South Korea's transport minister resigned, expressing a profound sense of responsibility for the disaster. Families of victims have also raised concerns about the transparency and independence of the investigation and are urging for outside experts' involvement. The investigation is expected to be lengthy, as authorities focus on gathering all relevant data to prevent such catastrophic events in the future.