Jeju Air flight returns after takeoff over similar landing gear issue found in Muan crash

A Jeju Air flight that took off in South Korea on Monday returned to the airport of departure due to the same landing gear issue that was found in a deadly crash involving a separate aircraft of the same model the previous day, the company said.

Jeju Air Flight 7C101, which departed from Gimpo International Airport for Jeju at 6:37 a.m., detected an issue with its landing gear shortly after takeoff.

The airline informed the 161 passengers about the mechanical defect caused by the landing gear issue and subsequently returned the flight to Gimpo at 7:25 a.m.

The passengers were transferred to an alternative unit of the same Boeing B737-800 model, which departed for Jeju at 8:30 a.m. However, 21 passengers opted not to board over safety concerns.

According to Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air’s management support office, the captain of the flight contacted the ground control center after detecting a signal indicating an issue with the landing gear.

“While the landing gear was confirmed to be functioning normally after additional measures, the captain decided to return to the airport for a safety check,” Song said at a press briefing.

Landing gear is an essential device directly related to flight safety, ensuring safe takeoffs and landings while mitigating impact during emergency landings.

In Sunday’s Jeju Air crash that claimed 179 lives in the southwestern county of Muan, it is believed that all three landing gears had failed to operate properly.

The aircraft involved in the return flight was the same model as the one involved in the disaster the previous day. Jeju Air operates 39 B737-800 units out of its fleet of 41 aircraft.