Marado Maritime Accident Helicopter Crashes 30-40 Seconds After Taking Off from Patrol Ship

On the morning of the 8th, a helicopter (S-92) belonging to the Aviation Unit of the Southern Sea Coast Guard Agency crashed off Marado, Jeju, and the Coast Guard is conducting a search for the missing.
[Photo by Jeju Maritime Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The helicopter (S-92) belonging to the Namhae Regional Maritime Police Agency that crashed off Marado Island, Jeju, is understood to have crashed 30 to 40 seconds after taking off from the patrol vessel.

On the 8th, Park Jesoo, Head of the Safety and Security Division of Jeju Regional Maritime Police Agency, explained in a briefing, "The accident helicopter crashed 30 to 40 seconds after refueling on the patrol vessel 3012," and added, "The claim that it crashed 2 to 3 minutes later is not true."

Earlier, the Namhae Maritime Police Agency stated, based on the situation report recording radio wave detection, that the helicopter appeared to have crashed within 2 to 3 minutes after takeoff.

However, the Jeju Maritime Police Agency officially announced that the helicopter crashed 30 to 40 seconds after takeoff from their patrol vessel 3012, which was visually confirmed, correcting the crash time.

The S-92 helicopter took off from Gimhae Airport around 9:05 PM on the 7th to drop off six members of the Central Maritime Special Rescue Team on patrol vessel 3012 to search for the Kyot? 1, which had reported distress in the Taiwan waters.

The helicopter arrived at Jeju Airport at 10:18 PM, refueled, took off again at 11:09 PM from Jeju Airport, and at around 12:53 AM on the 8th, dropped off six rescue team members on the patrol vessel 3012 belonging to Jeju Maritime Police Agency, located 370 km southwest of Marado.

Afterward, it refueled again and took off from the vessel around 1:30 AM to head back to Jeju Airport, but the accident occurred shortly after takeoff.

The S-92 is a relatively new helicopter assigned to the Namhae Maritime Police Aviation Unit in 2014 and has been deployed for various maritime accidents including the Sewol ferry disaster. A total of five S-92 helicopters have been introduced domestically, and it is known as a model with no prior accidents.

Earlier, the S-92 helicopter belonging to the Namhae Maritime Police Agency crashed around 1:32 AM on the same day, 370 km southwest of Marado, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju.

As a result of the accident, co-pilot Jeong Mo (51), lieutenant, and electronic warfare operator Hwang Mo (28), sergeant, were rescued and received emergency treatment but died, while pilot Choi Mo (47), captain, was transferred to a hospital for treatment.

Among the helicopter occupants, maintenance officer Cha Mo (42), sergeant, is missing, and the maritime police are conducting a search.

Coast Guard S-92 Helicopter
[Photo by Korea Coast Guard]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.