The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed on the 29th that the wings and engines on both sides of the AIR BUSAN aircraft involved in the fire at Gimhae International Airport were not damaged. The ministry also stated that it would do its best to thoroughly identify the cause of the accident, prevent recurrence, and compensate victims.
According to the ministry, the Aircraft and Railway Accident Investigation Committee began investigating the cause of the accident from 5:55 a.m. that day and confirmed that the wings and engines on both sides of the accident aircraft were undamaged.
The fire reportedly started at around 10:15 p.m. the previous night (28th) from the rear of the aircraft, with speculation that it began in the auxiliary power unit (APU). However, during the investigation by the committee, the possibility that the fire was not caused by an issue with the aircraft has increased.
Currently, the cause of the accident is being attributed to an unidentified object that was placed in the cabin baggage storage compartment, based on testimonies from the crew and passengers aboard. The fire was reported after a crew member noticed smoke and flames coming from the storage compartment.
The ministry explained that it has established a central accident response headquarters at the Sejong Government Complex and a local accident response headquarters at Gimhae Airport to address the AIR BUSAN passenger aircraft fire incident.
All 176 individuals on board, including 169 passengers and 7 crew members and maintenance personnel, successfully evacuated. Of them, 110 returned home, while 65 are staying in hotels. The remaining individual is currently hospitalized as one of three minor injuries resulting from the accident.
Regarding passenger compensation, the ministry confirmed that AIR BUSAN has insurance covering the aircraft and passengers with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, including compensation for passenger injuries and baggage. Minister Park Sang-woo received a report on the situation immediately after the accident on the 28th.
Minister Park directed an assessment of the damage and structure and visited the central accident response headquarters around 10:30 a.m. on the 29th to receive a report on the response situation. He noted, “We will do our best to establish measures to prevent recurrence through thorough cause identification and to support and compensate the victims.”