Second Jeju Air Flight Suffers Landing Gear Problem Day After Same Model Was Involved In South Korea’s Deadliest Plane Crash

The flight in question, Jeju Air Flight 7C101, was operated by a Boeing 737-800, the same model involved in Sunday’s fatal crash, which claimed 179 lives after the plane landed without its landing gear deployed.

The flight, which had departed from Gimpo International Airport in Seoul at 6:37 a.m. bound for Jeju Island, returned to Gimpo at 7:25 a.m. after a landing gear problem was detected shortly after takeoff.

Read Also: 179 Dead In South Korea’s Worst Plane Crash

“Shortly after takeoff, a signal indicating a landing gear issue appeared on the aircraft’s monitoring system,” said Song Kyung-hoon, Jeju Air’s head of the management support office, during a press conference. “At 6:57 a.m., the captain contacted ground control, and after taking additional measures, the landing gear functioned normally again.

However, the decision was made to return to the airport for a thorough inspection.”

Local media reported that 21 passengers opted not to board an alternate flight to Jeju, citing safety concerns and other reasons.

Jeju Air’s fleet consists of 41 planes, 39 of which are Boeing 737-800 models.

Following the incident, the South Korean government announced plans to conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating in the country. US investigators, possibly including representatives from Boeing, will join the probe into Sunday’s crash.

“We are reviewing plans to conduct a special inspection on B737-800 aircraft,” said Joo Jong-wan, head of South Korea’s aviation policy bureau. He also stated that the government would implement “rigorous aviation safety inspections” in response to these landing gear incidents.

The crash on Sunday involved a Boeing 737-800 that was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea.

The aircraft made a mayday call before belly-landing and crashing into a barrier, bursting into flames. All passengers aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216 were killed, except for two flight attendants who were rescued from the wreckage.