1997 Korean Air Guam Crash Killed 228
Asiana Airlines 1993 Crash... 66 Dead
The Jeju Air passenger plane disaster that occurred at Muan International Airport on the 29th has brought renewed attention to past major aviation accidents with large casualties.
In particular, many of the historical aviation accidents occurred during the so-called "deadly 11 minutes." In the aviation industry, the "3 minutes after takeoff and 8 minutes before landing" are referred to as the "deadly 11 minutes." This is because the risk of accidents during takeoff and landing is much higher than during flight.
Wreckage of the aircraft that collided and exploded during landing at Muan International Airport, Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News
Looking at domestic airlines, in 2013, an Asiana Airlines passenger plane collided while landing at San Francisco International Airport in the United States. This accident resulted in the deaths of three Chinese female students and injuries to 181 people. Additionally, in 2015, another Asiana Airlines passenger plane veered off the runway while landing at Hiroshima Airport in Japan and made an emergency stop, injuring 20 passengers. Earlier, in 1993, an Asiana Airlines passenger plane crashed into a hill in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, while approaching Mokpo Airport, causing a major accident with 66 deaths and 44 injuries.
The largest accident involving Korean Air occurred in August 1997 during landing at Guam Airport. At that time, the passenger plane attempted to land facing the runway at Guam Airport but crashed into a hill and fell, resulting in 228 deaths. Also, in 1999, a Korean Air passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Shanghai Airport in China, killing 8 and injuring 41. Earlier, in 1994, another Korean Air passenger plane collided with a fence while landing at Jeju Airport, injuring 90 people. In 1989, a Korean Air passenger plane en route from Seoul to Libya crashed while attempting to land at Tripoli Airport, killing 80 and injuring 139.
There were also accidents caused by mechanical issues or terrorism. In 1987, a Korean Air passenger plane flying over the Myanmar sea area was bombed in a terrorist attack, killing 115 people. Additionally, in December 1999, a Korean Air cargo plane crashed near Stansted Airport in the UK, killing 4 crew members, and in July 2011, an Asiana Airlines cargo plane crashed into the sea near Jeju Island, killing 2 crew members.
Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, is bowing his head in apology during a briefing on the Muan International Airport passenger plane accident at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
The Jeju Air flight 7C2216 involved in the accident at Muan International Airport is a Boeing 737-800 model manufactured by the American Boeing company, confirmed to be 15 years old. Jeju Air has been leasing and operating this aircraft since 2017. Among domestic airlines, Jeju Air operates the largest number of Boeing 737-800s. Jeju Air operates 39 of this model, followed by ▲T'way Air with 25 ▲Jin Air with 19 ▲Eastar Jet with 6 ▲and Korean Air with 2.
The Jeju Air passenger plane crashed less than a month after it began regular service at Muan Airport. Jeju Air started regular flights on the 8th to destinations including Bangkok, Thailand; Nagasaki, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; and Jeju.
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