Dec 30, 2024 - World
4 key unknowns about South Korea's deadly 737 crash
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Big questions loom over yesterday's crash that killed all but two of the 181 people aboard a South Korean jetliner.
The big picture: Video shows the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 suffering an apparent bird strike, then attempting a belly landing before skidding down the runway into an antenna atop a small hill and exploding.
What we're watching: The investigation will likely focus on several key questions:
- Why did the pilots immediately make a second landing attempt, rather than taking time to burn fuel, run checklists and troubleshoot the problem? (It's possible they lost both engines, but that remains unclear.)
- Why did the pilots attempt to land with no landing gear or flaps? (The 737 has redundant and emergency systems for this.)
- Why were the pilots attempting to land at an unusually high speed, and why did they touch down well beyond the normal point? (Landing without flaps means a faster approach and longer "float" down the runway before touchdown.)
- Could lives have been spared if the antenna — used for instrument approaches in poor visibility — was built elsewhere? (Experts are pointing to its location as a contributing factor in the crash, though it doesn't explain any of the pilots' actions.)
What's next: Investigators have found the "black boxes," which may shed light on the crucial four minutes between the apparent bird strike and the disastrous landing attempt.
