Korean Air Passenger Plane Skids Off Runway in Philippines...Suspected Cause: Brake Failure

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] A Korean Air passenger plane landing at Cebu Airport in the Philippines from Incheon experienced a runway overrun accident. Philippine authorities and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) suspect brake system failure as the cause.

According to MOLIT on the 24th, at around 12:07 a.m., a Korean Air A330-300 passenger plane (KE631) that departed Incheon International Airport at 6:35 p.m. on the 23rd bound for Mactan Cebu Airport in the Philippines veered off the runway and stopped in bushes after landing at 11:07 p.m. local time.

The aircraft landed normally on the runway. However, it failed to reduce speed and stopped about 250 meters beyond the end of the runway.

There were 162 passengers and 11 crew members on board, but no casualties have been confirmed so far.

Philippine authorities and MOLIT believe the aircraft’s brake system likely malfunctioned. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation.

The pilot reported that the brake system warning light came on during landing. Initial investigations indicate that the plane was unable to reduce speed on the runway. It is presumed that the brake hydraulic system was damaged due to impact on the wheels during the process of aborting two landing attempts and taking off again.

Due to this accident, the runway at Cebu Airport has been closed, and flights between Incheon and Cebu are currently suspended. Philippine authorities planned to resume airport operations around 2 p.m. that day, but the reopening is expected to be delayed as there is no large crane available to move the accident aircraft at the airport.

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