S. Korea to remove concrete embankment blamed for exacerbating deadly Jeju Air crash
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The Dec 29 crash killed 179 people, with only two crew members seated near the rear of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft surviving.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL - South Korea’s Transport Ministry said on Jan 22 that it would remove the concrete embankment installed at Muan International Airport following the Jeju Air crash
While investigators are still probing what caused Jeju Air Flight 2216 to crash, including reported bird strikes
Among the first widespread reforms announced since the crash, the authorities said they will make new foundations or other adjustments for similar antennas at seven airports including Muan and Jeju International Airport – one of South Korea’s busiest – that are either below ground level or easy to break.
The decision came after reviewing the structures housing the antennas that guide airport landings known as Instrument Landing System (ILS), or a “localiser”.
“Muan International Airport plans to completely remove the existing concrete and reinstall the localiser in a fragile structure,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Dec 29 crash killed 179 people, with only two crew members seated near the rear of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft surviving.
Video footage showed the plane slamming into the structure and exploding after landing at high speed without gear down and skidding past the end of the runway.
The runway design has been criticised for failing to meet safety standards, prompting the authorities to extend post-runway safety zones free of major obstacles.
The Transport Ministry said it will ensure a 240m-long runway safety area at all airports to meet all relevant regulations. The area at Muan airport was about 200m long before the crash.
Police said separately that Mr Son Chang-wan, the former president of the state-run Korea Airports Corporation who was in office when the structure at Muan airport was renovated, was found dead in his home
Mr Son was not under investigation over the plane crash and had not been summoned for questioning over it, a police official said.
Muan airport’s shutdown has been extended until April 18, the Transport Ministry said on Jan 18. REUTERS
