"Jeju Air Accident Aircraft Engine Shut Down Several Times Two Days Earlier"

On the 27th, Passenger Said "Engine Stalled, Felt Anxious"
"Crew Responded There Was No Problem"

A Jeju Air passenger plane collided and caught fire while landing at Muan International Airport, resulting in 179 deaths. It has been reported that the plane experienced engine shutdown issues two days before the accident. According to a Yonhap News report on the 29th, a passenger who flew on the same plane on the 27th said, "I was on the same flight at the time, and the engine shut down several times." The passenger traveled to Bangkok, Thailand with family, departing from Muan Airport around 1:30 a.m. on the accident day.

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

He explained the situation, saying, "I was worried because the engine shut down several times and told the flight attendants, but they said there was no problem." He added, "The flight was delayed for about an hour due to airport issues before departure." Furthermore, he said, "Other passengers also raised concerns about the abnormalities, but the flight continued as scheduled," and "There were no other problems during the flight, and we returned to Muan Airport as usual."

Earlier, Jeju Air flight 7C2216 attempted a belly landing on the runway at Muan Airport around 9:03 a.m. on the 29th with the landing gear (aircraft wheels) not deployed. During the attempt, the aircraft collided with the outer wall. The plane was subsequently broken in half and caught fire, with most of the fuselage engulfed in flames. There were 181 people on board, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. According to the Fire Department's tally, 179 people died and 2 were rescued. This makes the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster the deadliest aviation accident in South Korea. Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, declared Muan a special disaster area and chaired a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Muan County Office. Acting President Choi announced, "The government designates a seven-day national mourning period from today until 24:00 on January 4."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Thai media Bangkok Post cited a statement from Thani Sangrat, the Thai Ambassador to South Korea, reporting that two Thai women on board, 45-year-old Ms. A and 22-year-old Ms. B, died in the accident. According to the report, Ms. A was from Udon Thani Province in northeastern Thailand and moved to South Korea about seven years ago for work. She married a Korean husband and lived in South Korea. She visited her hometown once a year and had traveled to Thailand earlier this month with her husband. Ms. A's husband returned to Korea on the 14th, and Ms. A boarded the flight in the early morning of the accident day. Ms. B was a senior at a university in Bangkok and was reportedly on her way to visit her mother, who lives in Korea after marrying a Korean man, when she lost her life.

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