Jeju Air's second scare: Landing gear issue forces return
A Jeju Air airplane that took off on Monday from Gimpo Airport in Seoul had to turn back after detecting a similar landing gear issue to the crash of the same airline's aircraft on Sunday, reported the South Korean agency Yonhap.
The Boeing B737-800 with 161 passengers on board took off from Gimpo International Airport early Monday morning, heading to Jeju, an island located south of mainland South Korea. Shortly after takeoff, the flight captain detected a landing gear malfunction and returned to Seoul.
It was the same aircraft model involved in Sunday's crash. As a result of that incident, 179 people died; at that time, the failure involved all three landing gear, reported Yonhap.
Problems with airplanes in South Korea
Although a re-check confirmed that the landing gear was functioning properly, the captain decided to return to the airport for safety reasons, informed a Jeju Air representative, quoted by the agency. The operator uses 39 units of B737-800, and its entire fleet consists of 41 aircraft.
Passengers from Monday's flight were transferred to another plane, but 21 of them chose not to board due to safety concerns.
Acting President of South Korea Choi Sang Mok ordered an emergency safety inspection of all airlines on Monday following Sunday's airplane crash at Muan Airport, which is to remain closed until Wednesday.
