The Last Moments of Jeju Air Flight 2216
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Pilots are trained to remain calm and assess situations before acting during crises, but the natural startle effect can lead to rushed, ill-advised decisions, as seen in the Jeju Air crash.
- The Jeju pilots attempted a go-around after a bird strike damaged both engines, but may have shut down the wrong engine and failed to follow emergency protocols, complicating the situation.
- Muan International Airport lacked adequate bird strike prevention measures and failed to alert pilots early about the large flock of birds, contributing to the accident.
- The pilots landed the plane without deploying the landing gear, causing it to skid off the runway and crash into a concrete wall, which exacerbated the disaster and led to 179 fatalities.
- Despite similarities to Captain Sullenberger's successful Hudson River landing after a dual engine failure, the Jeju crash lacked critical safety measures and timely decisions that might have saved lives.
