Boeing 737-800 is among world’s most common aircraft

Accident investigators are trying to understand what caused a Jeju Air flight to land on its belly. without its landing gear extended at Muan International Airport in southwest South Korea, killing all but two of the 181 people on board as it caught fire in the country’s worst air disaster in decades.

South Korea’s interim president, Choi Sang-mok, has ordered a state of emergency. inspection of the country Boeing 737-800, the type of plane used on the fatal Jeju Air Flight 7C2216.

The Boeing 737-800 is one of the most widely used aircraft in the world and has a strong safety record. It predates the Boeing 737 Max, the type involved in two fatal accidents in 2018 and 2019, which killed all 346 people on board those flights. The 737 Max was grounded for almost two yearsand a flight control system, which was later modified, was involved in these two accidents.

Nearly 4,400 older Boeing 737-800s are in operation worldwide, according to aviation data firm Cirium. This means that the model represents approximately 17% of the world’s commercial passenger aircraft fleet in service.

The average age of the global 737-800 fleet is 13 years, according to Cirium, and the last planes in the series were delivered about five years ago.

Jeju Air took delivery of the plane involved in this weekend’s crash in 2017. It was previously operated by European discount airline Ryanair, according to Flightradar24. The plane involved in the accident was approximately 15 years old.

Aerospace experts say investigators are unlikely to find a design problem with the long-flying plane.

“The idea that they would discover a design flaw at this point is almost inconceivable,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm.

A full investigation could take more than a year, and the unusual incident has raised more questions than answers, such as why the landing gear was not deployed. Even in the event of a hydraulic malfunction, Boeing 737-800 pilots can jettison the landing gear manually.

One theory involves a possible bird strike that disabled at least one, if not both, engines.

“If this is happening at the altitude they are at, they may not have had time to do emergency checklists,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired aviation safety investigator. of the United States National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. He also said that if the plane had not hit a mound of earth and a hard wall at the end of the runway, the accident might have been more survivable. This area housed a locator that helps guide planes.

The NTSB leads the US investigative team which also includes Boeing and the FAA, since the aircraft was manufactured and certified in the United States.

In accordance with international protocols, the country in which the accident took place will lead the overall investigation.

Boeing shares fell more than 4% Monday morning after local authorities requested inspections on 737-800s operated by South Korean airlines, but pared its earlier losses to end the day down 2.3%.