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New Jeju Air crash footage challenges initial theories behind cause

Published: 08 Apr. 2025, 12:54

Smoke is seen coming out of the right side engine of the Jeju Air plane that crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024. [YONHAP]

New footage released Monday from the final moments of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29 last year appears to show partial engine function, challenging previous assumptions that both engines had failed entirely due to a bird strike.

According to video footage aired by KBS on Monday evening, flames and smoke can be seen coming from the aircraft’s right engine, followed by a sudden loss of altitude to around 50 meters (164 feet) above sea level. However, the plane then appears to regain slight altitude shortly after. Engine sounds, believed to be from the aircraft, can be heard throughout the emergency landing attempt.

The footage was recorded from a location near the Coast Guard hangar at Muan International Airport and captures a sequence of 2 minutes and 40 seconds, starting at 9:06:16 a.m. — 1 minute and 20 seconds after the pilot issued a mayday call.

“It may not have been operating normally, but the sound could be interpreted as the engine functioning to some extent,” said a Transport Ministry official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Regaining even minimal altitude mid-flight would have been difficult without any engine thrust.”

If the sound is confirmed to be from the engine, existing theories about the crash’s cause and progression may need to be revised. Until now, the prevailing view was that both engines failed during landing due to a bird strike, which also caused a complete shutdown of in-flight power, leaving the aircraft uncontrollable.

The black box data, including the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), stopped four minutes before the crash, an event previously attributed to total power loss.

A truck carrying the engine of Jeju Air flight that crashed on Dec. 29, 2024 is being moved at the Muan International Airport on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]

“If any engine power remained, we will have to re-examine why the black box stopped recording, why the landing gear didn’t deploy, why speed did not decrease after the belly landing, and why the flaps were not extended,” the Transport Ministry official said.

An official from another domestic airline also noted, “We may need to completely re-evaluate the cause and sequence of the accident, which had been based on the assumption of total engine and power failure.” This includes reconsidering potential manufacturing defects or maintenance errors.

A spokesperson from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, which is overseeing the investigation said that the board “has already secured the video footage and are analyzing it from multiple angles,” adding, “it will take time to clearly determine the cause.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KANG KAP-SAENG [[email protected]]