Eyewitnesses of South Korean plane crash tell of sparks from engine, bird strike before crash

Witnesses to a fatal plane crash in South Korea on Sunday said they saw flames from the plane’s engine and heard an explosion, according to a report.

A Jeju Air flight It left the runway at Muan International Airport in the city of Muan, about 190 kilometers south of Seoul, and crashed into a concrete fence, killing at least 176 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the National Fire Agency (NFA).

Authorities are investigating a landing gear failure due to a bird strike that may have caused the crash, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Videos show the plane attempting to land without deploying its landing gear.

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The plane was carrying 181 people when it crashed at around 09:03 am local time. Emergency crews pulled two workers to safety who health officials say are not in a life-threatening condition, while three remain missing.

South Korea’s Ministry of Transport said the 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 was returning from Bangkok, Thailand.

“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and are ready to support them,” Boeing said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.”

One of the witnesses, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who lived in a rental house near the airport, said he saw a spark on the right side of the plane before the incident, according to Yonhap News Agency.

“I was telling my family that there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion,” said Yoo.

Firefighters perform extinguishing operations on a plane that took off from the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on December 29, 2024. (Yonhap via REUTERS)

Another witness, identified only by his last name, Cho, told the outlet that he was traveling 4.5 kilometers, or about 2.8 miles, from the airport when the plane hit a concrete wall at the end of the runway.

“I saw the plane going down and I thought it was going to land when I saw a flash of light,” said Cho. “Then there was a huge explosion followed by smoke in the air, then I heard a series of explosions.”

Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane was unable to land on the first attempt and had to turn back to try again before the accident happened.

Kim said he heard the sound of “metal scraping” twice about five minutes before the crash. He also said he looked up into the sky and saw the plane climbing after failing to land before he heard a “loud explosion” and saw “black smoke billowing into the sky.”

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This screenshot taken from video footage taken near Muan International Airport shows black smoke billowing into the air from the airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, December 29, 2024. (Yonhap via REUTERS)

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A 50-year-old witness, identified only by his surname, Jung, was fishing nearby when he said he saw a flock of birds collide with the plane, which caused a fire in the right engine.

“When the plane landed on the runway, it hit a flock of birds coming from the other side,” he said. “I heard two or three explosions as if birds had been bitten by the engine before I saw the flame coming from the right engine.”

Kerati Kijmanawat, director of Airports of Thailand, said in a statement that the flight departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of adverse conditions on board or on the runway.

Jeju Air said in a statement that it expresses its “profound apologies” for the accident and that it will do everything possible to control the consequences of the accident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.