Latest news with #Muan
New York Times
14-05-2025
- New York Times
Relatives of Jeju Air Crash Victims File Criminal Complaint
Almost five months after a Jeju Air plane crashed in a deadly fireball at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Dec. 29 and killed 179 people, dozens of bereaved family members filed a criminal complaint against 15 officials in the government and aviation industry. On Tuesday, 72 relatives of victims submitted the complaint to the Jeonnam Provincial Police agency, accusing them of negligence and violating South Korean laws, according to a statement from lawyers representing the families. Among those targeted in the complaint were Jeju Air's CEO Kim E-bae, the nation's transport minister, Park Sang-woo, and airport operators at the Muan International Airport. The complaint said they had been professionally negligent and violated the Serious Accidents Punishment Act as well as the Aviation Safety Act. The families believe 'the disaster wasn't a simple accident but a serious civil disaster caused by negligence in mitigating risks,' according to the statement. The Korean Airports Corporation, the state-run company that operates most of the airports in South Korea including the one in Muan, and the transport ministry declined to comment. Jeju Air did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the complaint, the family members also questioned the sharp pivot the pilot made before attempting to land, as well as the plane's engine maintenance, and why Flight 2216's flight recorder stopped working four minutes before the crash. While the official cause of the crash has not been disclosed by investigators, New York Times investigations revealed that air officials had long been warned of the dangers regarding bird strikes, and that the crash might have been less deadly if the concrete wall at the end of the runway was made of a more frangible material, as they often are in other airports. 'There has been no progress in the four months since the disaster,' said Kim Da-hye, one of the family members included in the statement. 'I can't help but feel deep anger and despair.' Since the crash, transport officials and airport runners have vowed to overhaul airport infrastructure and safety measures including reconstructing the concrete navigation devices near the runways at seven airports, using drones to detect bird activity near airports, and expanding maintenance crews working for low-cost carriers. Muan International Airport officials plan to reopen the airport in July after implementing some of these new safety protocols. The nation's Aviation Railroad Accident Investigation Committee and investigators from the United States are carrying out an investigation into the cause of the accident.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- ABC News
Families of South Korea's Jeju Air plane crash victims file criminal complaint
Families of victims of a fiery Jeju Air plane crash have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people including South Korean government officials and airline safety representatives, according to their lawyers. The relatives of 72 of the victims from the Jeju Air flight JC-2216 disaster on December 29 said on Tuesday that they were initiating the legal action against officials including transport minister Park Sang-woo. They are alleging negligence in managing safety risks as well as violations of the Aviation Safety Act. The crash at South Korea's Muan Airport killed 179 people in the country's deadliest-ever air disaster. A statement released by lawyers of the bereaved families said a more thorough investigation was needed on the decision to attempt a return to land immediately after a bird strike, on the maintenance of the aircraft's engine, and on whether the construction of a runway embankment was appropriate. The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 overshot Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency landing and crashed into an embankment containing navigation equipment known as localisers, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board. Except for two Thai nationals, everyone on board was South Korean. In making the emergency landing, Flight JC-2216 did not extend its landing gear and was unable to slow down before colliding with a fence in the embankment. Transport ministry officials confirmed after the crash that the plane's pilots told air traffic control the aircraft had suffered a bird strike shortly after the control tower warned of birds in the area. As of New Year's Day, all remains of the victims of the crash had been formally identified. Their bereaved families were taken to the accident site to mourn and pay their respects. There were just two survivors from the crash — a 33-year-old flight attendant and another 25-year-old crew member. In the wake of the crash, South Korea entered seven days of national mourning to mark the tragedy and a civil investigation was called by the country's government. A separate investigation was launched by the US National Transportation Safety Board because the plane had been designed and built in the United States. Reuters
