On the morning of December 30, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 was forced to make an emergency landing at Gimpo Airport, South Korea, after the pilot discovered an abnormality in the landing gear.
This is the second landing gear incident involving a Jeju Air plane in just one day, following the tragedy at Muan airport that killed 179 people.
According to Yonhap, flight number 7C101, carrying 161 passengers, took off from Gimpo Airport in Seoul at 6:37 a.m. on December 30 (local time) to Jeju Island. Immediately after takeoff, the pilot discovered a problem with the landing gear system and decided to return to the airport to ensure safety. The plane landed safely in Gimpo at 7:25 a.m. All passengers were transferred to another flight to continue their journey.
"The return to the airport was necessary to ensure flight safety. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers," said a Jeju Air representative.
A day earlier, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 had also suffered a serious accident at Muan Airport. The plane is believed to have hit a bird mid-flight and suffered a malfunction in its landing gear. The crew was forced to attempt a belly landing, but the plane skidded off the runway, hit a concrete wall, and burst into flames, killing 179 people. South Korean authorities determined that the landing gear malfunction was the main cause of this tragic plane crash.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered a comprehensive review of the country's aviation safety system, following the completion of the recovery of bodies and the processing of the scene at Muan Airport.
The Boeing 737-800 is a variant of the 737 Next Generation series, which entered service in 1997 and is considered one of the most popular aircraft models in the world.
Jeju Air, a South Korean low-cost carrier, has a fleet of 41 aircraft, including 39 Boeing 737-800s. Prior to the series of incidents, Jeju Air operated many routes connecting South Korea with Southeast Asian countries. The series of incidents has raised concerns about the safety of the airline and the Boeing 737-800.
