South Korea’s worst-ever plane crash highlights dangers of bird strikes

Bird strikes are a common hazard for commercial flights but only rarely cause serious accidents, experts say.

Taipei, Taiwan – The fatal crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea has highlighted the risks bird strikes pose to commercial airliners.

Pilots told air traffic control that their aircraft collided with a flock of birds shortly before declaring mayday and making an emergency landing at Muan International Airport, according to South Korea’s Transport Ministry.

Footage of the crash on Sunday showed the twin-engine Boeing 787-800 making a belly-flop landing on the runway without its landing gear deployed.

The aircraft then skidded across the tarmac before hitting a concrete wall and exploding into flames, killing 179 out of 181 people on board.

Geoffrey Thomas, the Australia-based editor-in-chief of Airline Ratings, said that a bird strike was likely only a partial cause of the deadly crash.