An Air Busan Airbus A321-200 aircraft was destroyed by fire during pre-departure preparations at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday evening, prompting an emergency evacuation that resulted in three minor injuries.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:26 p.m. local time as flight BX-391 was preparing for departure to Hong Kong.
All 169 passengers, including 22 foreign nationals, along with six crew members and one maintenance worker, evacuated the aircraft using emergency slides after fire was detected in the tail section of the plane.
According to passenger accounts, the incident began with a crackling sound from a luggage rack in the rear of the cabin, followed by smoke that rapidly intensified.
“The smoke grew thicker and flames dropped from the rack as a flight attendant was bringing a fire extinguisher there,” a passenger told Yonhap News Agency.
Emergency response teams arrived at the scene by 10:34 p.m., and firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze by 11:31 p.m. However, by that time, the fire had spread from the tail section to the fuselage, causing extensive damage that rendered the aircraft unsalvageable.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has established an investigation team and deployed seven officials to determine the cause of the fire.
The aircraft, registered as HL7763, had been in service for over 17 years but was still within the standard 20-year service life that requires additional safety scrutiny.
Air Busan, which had maintained a clean safety record with no reported accidents over the past twelve years, now faces its most significant incident to date. The airline has not yet issued a statement regarding potential impact on its operations or the status of affected passengers.
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