A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 returned to Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport Monday morning after a landing gear problem. This incident follows Sunday’s fatal crash of another Jeju Air 737-800.
Flight 7C101, heading to Jeju island, took off around 6.37 am and landed back at Gimpo at 7.25 am. The airline reported a landing gear issue shortly after takeoff.
“Shortly after takeoff, a signal indicating a landing gear issue was detected on the aircraft’s monitoring system,” Jeju Air management support office head Song Kyung-hoon explained in a news conference. “At 6.57 am, the captain communicated with ground control, and after taking additional measures, the landing gear returned to normal operation. However, the decision was made to return to the airport for a thorough inspection of the aircraft,” he added.
South Korean authorities announced a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 planes operating in the country. US investigators, potentially including Boeing representatives, will participate in the crash investigation.
“We are reviewing plans to conduct a special inspection on B737-800 aircraft,” said Joo Jong-wan, head of the aviation policy bureau at the South Korean transport ministry. He added that the government plans to “implement rigorous aviation safety inspections in response to the (landing gear) incidents.”
Local media reports quoted by AFP indicated that 21 passengers declined alternative transport to Jeju, citing safety worries and various other concerns.
The airline’s current fleet comprises 41 aircraft, including 39 Boeing 737-800 models.
South Korean authorities announced on Monday their intention to conduct thorough examinations of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating nationally, with American investigators, potentially including Boeing representatives, participating in the crash investigation.
Joo Jong-wan, who leads the aviation policy bureau at the South Korean transport ministry, confirmed their plans for special aircraft inspections.
He stated that the government would implement comprehensive aviation safety checks following these landing gear incidents.
This comes after the Sunday disaster at Muan involved a Boeing 737-800 travelling from Thailand to South Korea, which crashed and burst into flames also due to landing gear malfunction according to few reports.. The incident claimed all lives aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216, except for two cabin crew members who were rescued from the debris.