South Korea’s Jeju Air, Azerbaijani jet crashes mark deadliest year in aviation since 2018
The spike in fatalities marks a reversal from 2023, which became the safest year ever in aviation with no deaths among large passenger planes
This year started and ended with tragedies in Japan and South Korea during attempted landings, among the most dangerous phases of flight. Fatal aviation accidents remain very rare, and one major incident can suddenly turn a statistically safe year into one of the worst.
“The recent spike falls into the margins of unpredictability,” said Darren Straker, a former head of air accident investigation units in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. He suggested airline crews could be better trained to respond to so-called outlier events.
Investigators have yet to determine why a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 – a predecessor to the Max – careered down the runway at Muan International Airport early on Sunday with no landing gear deployed and smashed into a concrete wall. All but two of the 181 people on board died as the wrecked jet exploded into a ball of fire.
04:08
Families mourn victims of South Korean plane crash that killed 179 people
The fatal Jeju Air crash was the airline’s first, and ranks as the worst civil air accident ever in South Korea.
