The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, which occurred on the morning of the 29th, received a 'bird strike advisory' from the control tower at around 8:57 a.m., six minutes before the incident. Two minutes after the control tower issued the bird strike advisory to the aircraft, the aircraft sent a 'mayday' emergency declaration. This signals an emergency situation where normal landing is not possible. After the mayday declaration, the aircraft attempted to land at around 9 a.m., two minutes later. The pilot made the landing without landing gear, and the aircraft veered off the end of the runway, colliding with the airport's outer wall at around 9:03 a.m.
According to the key communication details at the time of the accident released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that day, the aircraft was granted permission to land in the forward direction of the runway (01 direction, south to north) by the control tower at 8:54 a.m.
At around 8:57 a.m., the aircraft attempting to land received a 'bird avoidance advisory' from the control tower. This message was sent to warn about bird movement detected on the landing path.
At 8:59 a.m., a little over two minutes later, the pilot declared 'mayday' to the control tower. It was reported that during this process, a mention of a bird strike was made. The pilot attempting to land conducted a go-around (a flight maneuver in which the aircraft ascends without fully touching down).
One minute after the go-around, at 9 a.m., the pilot attempted to land in the reverse direction of the runway (19 direction, north to south). The aircraft made a belly landing on the runway without the landing gear being deployed. The aircraft did not stop properly, veered off the end of the runway, and collided with the airport's outer wall. The collision damaged the fuselage, resulting in a fire.
In summary, from the landing attempt to the occurrence of the accident, the communications were as follows: ▲8:54 a.m.: landing clearance notice from the control tower ▲8:57 a.m.: bird strike advisory from the control tower ▲8:59 a.m.: pilot's 'mayday' declaration. It was reported that 'standby' communications continued between the pilot and control tower even after the mayday declaration.
Ju Jong-woo, director of the aviation policy bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, 'We have retrieved both black boxes (flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder) from the aircraft,' adding, 'Further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause and circumstances of the accident.'
It is expected that the exact communication details and accident circumstances will be revealed in the process of investigation. However, a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official noted that it will take several months to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, including checking the black box data.
During this process, it is anticipated that the reason why the accident aircraft attempted to land in the reverse direction rather than the opposite direction after turning will also be clarified. Typically, aircraft attempt to land again in the forward direction of the runway after conducting a go-around. Regarding the background of the accident aircraft's attempt to land in the reverse direction, an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, 'We need to investigate thoroughly to provide an explanation.'