New details have emerged providing a precise timeline of the tragic events leading to South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster. Through official statements from South Korea’s Ministry of Transport, air traffic control recordings, and witness accounts reported by international media, AviationUpdatesPH.com has reconstructed the final moments of Jeju Air flight 7C-2216.
The fatal timeline
The Boeing 737-800, operating as Jeju Air flight 7C-2216, departed Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2:28 a.m. local time, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members.
The flight reached its initial cruise altitude of 33,000 feet 20 minutes later, and performed a step-climb to 37,000 feet more than half an hour later as it crossed the South China Sea.
The rest of the flight was uneventful and routine until its approach into Muan.
A more detailed, minute-by-minute account of the approach follows, all times local (KST, UTC+9):
| Time (KST) | Description |
|---|---|
| 8:54 AM | Muan air traffic control cleared flight 7C-2216 for landing on Runway 01. |
| 8:57 AM | Controllers issued a critical “caution – bird activity” advisory to the approaching aircraft. |
| 8:59 AM | The flight crew declared an emergency, transmitting “Mayday Mayday Mayday” followed by “Bird strike, bird strike, go-around.” |
| 9:00 AM | The aircraft initiated a go-around maneuver, requesting permission to land from the opposite direction on Runway 19. |
| 9:01 AM | Air traffic control granted clearance for the Runway 19 approach. |
| 9:02 AM | The aircraft touched down approximately 1,200 meters into the 2,800-meter runway, without its landing gear deployed. The aircraft was observed to be in a “clean” configuration. |
| 9:02:34 AM | Airport controllers activated the crash alarm for emergency response units. |
| 9:02:55 AM | Airport fire rescue units completed their emergency deployment. |
| 9:03 AM | The aircraft crashed into an embankment after overshooting the runway. |
The rescue operation
Emergency response was swift but faced challenging conditions due to scattered debris and fire.
| Time (KST) | Description |
|---|---|
| 9:10 AM | The transport ministry received the initial accident report. |
| 9:23 AM | Rescuers extracted the first survivor, a 33-year-old male crew member with surname “Lee”. |
| 9:38 AM | Authorities closed Muan International Airport. |
| 9:50 AM | A second survivor, also a 25-year-old crew member with surname “Koo”, was rescued from the aircraft’s tail section. |
The investigation continues
According to the Ministry of Transport, investigators have recovered the flight data recorder, though it sustained damage during the crash. The cockpit voice recorder was later found intact. Analysis of these critical components is pending the arrival of NTSB and Boeing investigators in Seoul.
A witness near the airport reported seeing the aircraft encounter a flock of birds, followed by “two or three pop-sounds” consistent with engine ingestion. They also observed flames emanating from the right engine before the crash.
Just before 9 a.m., a text message, believed to be from a passenger aboard the flight, said: “A bird is stuck in the wing. We can’t land.” The message then said, “Should I write my final words?”
The investigation is now focusing on several critical factors, including the role of the localizer antenna’s concrete embankment in the crash sequence, the effectiveness of the airport’s bird control measures, and the aircraft’s maintenance history.
Crew initially attempted to land using Runway 1 in Muan. One ground observer reportedly stated that the Jeju Air 737 flew through a flock of birds during this first approach. A number of popping sounds came from the aircraft’s engines after it hit the birds. Its landing gear was extended at this time.
The flight crew went around and declared a MAYDAY soon afterwards. At this time, it is not clear how much damage the Jeju Air 737 suffered after hitting those birds. However, its pilots soon decided to immediately return to land on runway 19, i.e. the other end of the runway.
An uncontained failure in one of its engines might have caused extensive damage to the landing gear, flight controls, and engine controls.
Both engines could be locked in full thrust from the go around, landing gear is retracted, flaps stowed and the aircraft gains speed and altitude but then it appears that the pilots were unable to deploy the landing configuration due to uncontrolled thrust as the flaps, slats because gear would be ripped off above a certain speed.
What is clear is the pilot chose to put the plane on the ground as quickly as possible, which is ideal when losing hydraulic fluid and subsequent control of the aircraft. One major contributing factor is the concrete wall that should never have been there! I have no doubt that if a collapsible antennae was installed as it should be, more people would be likely alive today.
-Nalliah Thayabharan