The Crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216: South Korea’s Deadliest Aviation Disaster
The crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216 on Sunday has claimed the lives of numerous passengers and crew members, marking the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korean history. The Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport, resulting in a devastating loss of life.
The accident marks a significant milestone, surpassing the 2002 crash of a Boeing 767-200 operated by Air China, which killed 129 people and injured 37. This is also the first fatal accident involving South Korea’s biggest budget airline, Jeju Air, which was founded in 2005 and ranks behind Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines in terms of the number of passengers in South Korea.
Some notable previous plane crashes in South Korea or involving South Korean airlines include:
* 1983: Korea Airlines Flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet jet after straying into Soviet airspace, killing all 269 people on board.
* 1993: An Asiana Airlines Boeing 737-500 landed short of the runway at Mokpo airport, resulting in the deaths of over 60 people.
* 1997: Korean Air flight 801 crashed into a hill near Guam, killing 228 out of 254 people on board.
* 2011: An Asiana Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft crashed in the sea off Jeju Island, after a fire in the cargo hold, killing both pilots.
* 2013: Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed at San Francisco International Airport, injuring over 180 people and killing three teenage passengers.
As the investigation into the cause of the crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216 continues, authorities are grappling with the aftermath of this tragedy, which has sent shockwaves across the country and the world.