Sunday, December 29

At least 151 people are dead after a devastating plane crash in South Korea, and has already become the worst-ever aviation disaster to take place within the country.

Jeju Air Flight 2216 was a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, and was carrying 175 passengers and 6 crewmembers. Jeju Air is South Korea's largest low-cost airline, but it has a strong safety record. The incident took place at Muan International Airport in the province of South Jeolla, which is located in the southwest corner of South Korea.

As the flight arrived around 9 am local time, it slid down the runway as it touched down with immense speed. The plane proceeded to skid off the runway before crashing into a wall, where it exploded in a massive fireball. Much of the remaining debris was lit ablaze, leaving a massive pile of burning metal and smoke across the area. The only part of the plane left intact was the tail area, which holds the black boxes. Reports have confirmed that while the fire has been extinguished, the area still smells of smoke and blood.

Only two people have been confirmed to have survived the devastating crash, both crewmembers who were rescued from the tail section of the plane. Every passenger onboard was South Korean, apart from two Thai nationals. Everyone who has not been found is presumed dead, and the death toll has slowly been rising since the crash as more bodies are recovered. Unfortunately, the current death toll means that the incident is already the worst-ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil-- until now, the worst aviation disaster to take place within the country's borders was an Air China crash in 2002 which killed 129 people.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the cause of the crash may have been a bird strike. In fact, the control tower at Muan International Airport sent out a bird warning just minutes before the pilot of the flight began a mayday call on the radio. However, not much information has been publicized about the incident, and authorities are looking to keep the investigation under wraps until a confirmed cause has been determined.

Video footage of the aircraft on the runway showed that the plane was without landing gear, suggesting that there may have been a malfunction due to the possible bird strike. Authorities have not determined, though, whether the gear came off upon landing or if it was never there in the first place. Officials have stated that the crash landing attempt may have been due to severe weather, but skies around the airport were clear on the morning of the crash.

This has puzzled investigators. While Boeing has experienced some issues in the past, the 737-800 is one of the world's most reliable planes. Unlike its problem-plagued successor, the 737 MAX, the 737-800 is extremely safe, and over 4,200 are in service around the world. In addition to this, weather was perfect during the incident, meaning that the cause must have been some sort of internal issue.

As of right now, one of the black boxes has been recovered, but local officials are still sifting through the debris for the other one. Black boxes are crucial to an investigation, as they record essential data about the flight along with audio recordings of the cockpit. Currently, the flight data black box has been found, but the cockpit voice recorder has yet to be discovered.

Over 1,500 people from the South Korean police, fire department, military, and coast guard are working to find the second black box while searching for any bodies, but they are also aiding in the investigation.

Jeju Air has offered their condolences to the families impacted by the crash, but the recovery of the second black box and the investigation to determine the definitive cause could take some time. In the meantime, officials are working to find and identify the bodies from the crash, which will bring peace to relatives and friends and help them come to terms with the shock and trauma they will be facing.

Fact of the Day: Surprisingly, the city in the United States with the highest percentage of immigrants is in Florida. Hialeah, Florida, has the highest percentage of residents who are immigrants-- a staggering 74.4% of the city's population of approximately 220,000 people.

Quote of the Day: Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. (Jaime Lyn)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Condone (verb, kun-DOHN) - To condone something that is considered wrong is to forgive or approve it, or to allow it to continue.

In a Sentence: We cannot condone that kind of behavior.