A bit over per week in the past, we noticed a horrifying accident, whereby a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed whereas touchdown at Muan Worldwide Airport (MWX), killing 179 folks. It’s the deadliest aviation accident since 2018. With an investigation into the reason for the crash ongoing, it’s attention-grabbing to notice that the nation’s transport minister has introduced his intention to step down…
South Korea’s transport minister feels chargeable for accident
Right now (Tuesday, January 7, 2025), South Korea’s Transport Minister has introduced that he intends to step down, to take accountability for the lethal Jeju Air crash. Throughout a press briefing, Park Sang-woo said that he feels “heavy accountability for this catastrophe.” He’ll attempt to discover the appropriate time to resign after addressing the present scenario.
One would possibly marvel why the transport minister can be taking accountability for an accident on this manner, particularly since we don’t but know for certain what induced the accident. It appears this accountability primarily facilities across the embankment that the 737 hit, which contributed to the aircraft bursting into flames.
The localizer antenna (used for plane navigation) was a few hundred meters down the top of the runway, which isn’t uncommon. Nonetheless, what isn’t regular is how the localizer antenna had a concrete construction round it.
Within the occasion of a runway overrun, it’s vital for plane to have as a lot area to cease as potential, and there’s merely no denying that the concrete construction across the localizer contributed to the variety of fatalities onboard the plane.
Joo Jong-wan, the deputy transport minister for civil aviation, said that the security measures when constructing the construction weren’t enough, although additionally stated that this was completed according to rules in each Korea and overseas. The police are even investigating how the embankment was constructed, and police have raided Jeju Air headquarters, in addition to the headquarters of the corporate that runs the airport.
On the one hand, a resignation from the transport minister appears a bit untimely, provided that the investigation hasn’t even been accomplished. Then again, in locations like Korea and Japan, optics and a way of non-public accountability are vital. It’s no totally different than how Japan Airways’ CEO would take the bus to work a number of years again, when the airline was dropping some huge cash.
The investigation into the reason for the crash continues
The investigation into the reason for the accident is continuous. Whereas we all know that the placement of the concrete construction contributed to fatalities, we nonetheless don’t totally know why the pilots tried to land the aircraft with out attempting to deploy the gear.
We all know the aircraft had initially been given clearance to land on runway 1. Then the plane appeared to come across a hen strike. So whereas the aircraft didn’t land within the route supposed, it ended up lining as much as make an emergency touchdown within the different route, on runway 19. That’s when the aircraft overran the runway, and finally burst into flames.
With the flight information recorder and cockpit voicer recorder having been recovered, we should always quickly study extra about what occurred. As of now there are infinite questions on why the pilots tried to land the best way they did, and I’m certain we’ll have some solutions quickly.
Backside line
South Korea’s transport minister is resigning over the Jeju Air crash, claiming he feels “heavy accountability for this catastrophe.” You’d by no means see a preemptive resignation like that in the USA, nevertheless it’s clearly simply partly reflective of various cultures.
As of now, presumably the “accountability” felt by the minister revolves across the concrete construction on the finish of the runway, slightly than something associated to the precise emergency touchdown, given the variety of unknowns.
What do you make of South Korea’s transport minister resigning over the crash?
