Eye Witness Says There Was A Spark From The Engine Before The Jeju Air Plane Exploded

The wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air plane that exploded and killed 122 passengers at Muan International Airport, South Korea, Sunday (29/12/2024). (Yonhap)

JAKARTA - Witnesses to the deadly Jeju Air plane crash in Muan, southwest of South Korea, on Sunday (29/12) reported sparks in the jet engine and heard several explosions before the incident.

Jeju Air plane came off the runway when it landed and hit a fence at Muan International Airport, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, at 9:07 a.m. local time.

Video shown on a local TV station showed the plane trying to land without an open landing gear.

41-year-old Yoo Jae-yong, who stayed at a rental house near the airport, said he saw sparks on the right wing of the plane before the crash.

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

Another witness, identified only by Cho's last name, said he was walking about 4.5 kilometers from the airport when the accident occurred.

"I saw the plane going down and thought the plane was going to land when I saw the flash of light," Cho said.

"Then there was the sound of a loud explosion, followed by smoke in the air, then several explosions in a row." he said again.

Another witness, 70-year-old Kim Yong-cheol, said the plane failed to land in the first attempt and was turning again to try to land before the accident occurred.

Kim recalls hearing the sound of "metal friction" twice about five minutes before the accident.

"I looked into the sky and saw the plane rising back after failing to land, before I heard the 'loud explosion' and saw 'black smoke rising into the sky,'" recalled Kim.

Officials suspect the failure of the landing gear, possibly due to a collision with a bird, was the cause of the accident. Police and firefighters have started an investigation at the scene to determine the exact cause of the incident.