South Korean Transport Ministry officials face prosecution review over Jeju Air crash
During a police probe conducted in parallel with the aviation accident investigation into the high-profile Jeju Air crash of Dec. 29, 2024, seven officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were referred to prosecutors over allegations that they concealed known discrepancies concerning the airport’s air traffic control infrastructure, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The accident occurred when Jeju Air Flight 2216 was en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport in South Korea. The crash killed 179 of the 181 people on board.
According to Yonhap, the case concerns a localizer, a ground-based radio system that provides horizontal guidance to aircraft during landing. The localizer was mounted on a concrete structure, which the aircraft struck after making an emergency belly landing. The structure subsequently raised questions over whether it contributed to the high death toll.
According to the police, the ministry issued two press releases stating that the localizer had been installed in compliance with regulations. However, officials allegedly knew that the installation did not comply with the regulations and decided to omit the relevant provisions from the releases, resulting in seven ministry officials being referred to prosecutors.
The regulations reportedly stipulated that navigation structures be designed to break away upon impact with an aircraft.
According to authorities, the findings of the police probe will be announced after the aviation accident investigation is completed.
Context
Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, killing 175 passengers and four crew members and leaving two survivors. The aircraft made an emergency belly landing after its landing gear failed and subsequently overran the runway. A bird strike was reportedly involved in the incident. The investigation is still underway.
Previously, Kursiv.media reported that families of the victims had sued Boeing, alleging that defects in the aircraft’s landing equipment contributed to the crash.
