Jeju Air plane crash was “extremely rare”. What travelers should know.

A Jeju Air plane crashed in South Korea, killing 179 people on board.
Commercial flying is statistically very safe and carries a much lower risk of death compared to driving.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but a bird strike warning was issued ahead of the incident.

Almost everyone on board a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan County, South Korea, died Sunday when their plane crashed at Muan International Airport. Only two of the 181 people on Flight 7C2216 survived.

The exact cause of the accident is under investigation, but South Korea’s transport ministry officials say the control tower issued a bird strike warning minutes before the pilots declared an emergency and attempted to land. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 appeared to land on its belly on the runway before skidding into a wall and bursting into flames.

“This aircraft appears to have landed at extremely high speed. It does not appear that the flaps were deployed,” aviation industry analyst Henry Harteveldt told USA TODAY. “There are a lot of questions as to why this is the case: Was there a hydraulic failure or did everything happen so quickly, was there actually a bird strike and were the birds eaten into both engines?” There are a lot of unknown factors here.”

But one thing is certain: “Statistically speaking, commercial aviation remains the safest mode of transportation,” he said.

Here’s what travelers should know:

Enjoy your worry-free vacation: Best travel insurance

How safe is flying currently?

Commercial flying remains very safe.

According to the National Safety Council, “the lifetime chance of dying as an airplane passenger in the United States was too small to calculate.” In contrast, the nonprofit safety advocate puts the odds of dying in a car accident at 1 in 93 to come, recording 46,027 motor vehicle deaths in the United States in 2022 alone.

For additional perspective, the Federal Aviation Administration points out that the National Airspace System helps bring 2.9 million airline passengers safely to their destinations every day.

Better prepared than sad:4 Tips for a Safe Airplane Evacuation | Cruise altitude

Safety comes first

While the Jeju Air crash, like others in recent years, occurred overseas, Harteveldt said, “It’s extremely rare.” There are currently about 4,400 737-800s in service, and they operate very reliably day in and day out. And they do this because the global aviation industry cooperates fully on safety-related issues.”

He explained that while airlines compete for business, they and aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus all share information about best practices, maintenance procedures and more for safety reasons.

“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and stand ready to assist them,” Boeing said in a statement to USA TODAY. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.”

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Jeju Air plane crash was “extremely rare”. What travelers should know.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply