Conflicting Causes of Muan Airport Disaster... CNN Warns "Avoid Premature Conclusions"

CNN Aviation Expert Cited
"More Information and Evidence Needed"

At Jeonnam Muan International Airport, a Jeju Air passenger plane from Bangkok, Thailand, carrying 181 passengers crashed, and the US CNN broadcast warned against premature speculation.

On the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, causing a fire that resulted in the deaths of most passengers. The wreckage of the aircraft is placed on the runway of Muan International Airport, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the 28th (local time), CNN cited aviation experts saying, "Aviation experts state that Korean aviation authorities need more information and evidence to clearly determine the cause of the crash that occurred on Sunday."

Earlier, Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan Fire Station, said in a press briefing regarding the cause of the accident, "It is presumed to be a bird strike or bad weather." However, CNN pointed out that videos taken at the time of the accident showed clear skies. Additionally, David Susi, former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector, emphasized, "Speculation is the worst enemy of investigators," adding, "This is why information is strictly protected during aviation accident investigations. There should be no speculation about this type of accident."

Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant, also urged Korean authorities, "At this stage, stop making definitive statements," and said, "Currently, there is no way to know the cause of this accident." Hamilton estimated that both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are located in the tail section of the aircraft, stating, "Since there does not appear to have been a severe fire in the tail section, the data can be interpreted relatively quickly." He added, "Securing communication records between the cockpit and the aircraft will help identify the cause of the accident." In fact, the tail section of the crashed passenger plane is relatively intact.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a briefing at the Government Sejong Complex on the 29th and announced, "The control tower warned the Jeju Air passenger plane of a 'bird strike' just before landing," adding, "About one minute after the bird strike warning, the pilot requested a distress signal 'Mayday,' and the accident occurred about five minutes later." They further emphasized, "More investigation is needed to determine the cause such as bird strike," and "It is difficult to see the accident as caused by the runway length."

The Ministry also stated, "the flight data recorder has been collected by the accident investigation committee," and "the voice recorder will be additionally secured depending on the situation at the site."

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