S. Korean airport was often warned about bird strikes before plane crash

It lacked equipment used to alert air traffic controllers and pilots to presence of birds

- Jin Ju Young

MUAN, South Korea - The latest warning came 10 days before the deadliest air crash in South Korea. A dozen officials gathered inside a room at Muan International Airport for a meeting of a bird strike prevention committee. They discussed the number of aircraft being hit by birds, with data showing a jump in incidents over the past couple of years.

An official from one of the country's aviation training institutes expressed concern that planes coming in to land often encountered flocks of birds by the coastline, according to a record of the meeting obtained by a lawmaker. To what extent is it possible to keep the birds away, the official asked.

The answer was not reassuring. There were not enough people and cars deployed at the airport to keep birds away, and sounds from loudspeakers used to broadcast noises to scare birds off were not strong enough to reach far enough beyond the airport, said an official from the company that managed the airport's facilities. He noted that they "were trying their best".

Then, on Dec 29, 2024, the pilot of Jeju Air Flight 2216 declared "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" and told air traffic controllers there had been a bird strike as the plane was making its descent. After making a sharp turn, the jet landed on its belly, slid down the runway and rammed into a concrete barrier, exploding into a fireball that killed 179 of the 181 people on board.

Investigators have not identified the reasons for the disaster and what role, if any, a bird strike might have played. But the country's Transport Ministry said bird feathers and blood were found in both of the jet's engines. The remains were identified as being from the Baikal teal, a migratory duck common to South Korea in winter that often flies in flocks of up to tens or even hundreds of thousands.