Three commercial aircraft faced perilous landings across different continents during a night of unprecedented aviation incidents.
According to The US Sun, an Air Canada flight experienced a fiery landing in Halifax, while a KLM aircraft skidded off a Norwegian runway, coinciding with a devastating crash in South Korea that claimed nearly 180 lives.
The series of incidents began when Air Canada flight AC2259's landing gear malfunctioned during its descent into Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The aircraft, carrying 73 passengers from St. John's, tilted dramatically to one side as its wing erupted in flames upon contact with the runway. Through swift emergency response, all passengers and crew members survived the harrowing incident.
A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 737-800, carrying 182 passengers, encountered a hydraulic system failure shortly after departing Oslo Airport. The pilots executed an emergency landing at Sandefjord Torp Airport, where the aircraft overshot the runway and came to rest on adjacent grass. Despite the dramatic landing, no injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
The most devastating incident occurred at Muan International Airport in South Korea, where Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 attempted a belly landing after experiencing landing gear failure. The Boeing 737-800, carrying 181 passengers and crew from Bangkok, Thailand, crashed and exploded upon impact.
Passenger Nikki Valentine, who was aboard the Air Canada flight, described the terrifying moments during landing:
The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left, and we heard a loud crash sound as the wing skidded along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine. The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows.
Halifax Stanfield International Airport temporarily ceased operations while emergency crews responded to the Air Canada incident. The airport has since reopened, with authorities launching a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the landing gear failure.
Norwegian aviation authorities have initiated their own investigation into the KLM aircraft's hydraulic system failure. The incident has raised questions about maintenance protocols and emergency landing procedures for Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The South Korean crash represents the country's worst aviation disaster in decades. Of the 181 people aboard, only two crew members survived after being rescued from the rear section of the aircraft. Recovery efforts continue as authorities work to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The concurrent nature of these incidents has sparked intense scrutiny from aviation experts worldwide. The Boeing 737-800's involvement in two of the three incidents has drawn particular attention from safety investigators.
Families of victims in the South Korean crash have gathered at Muan International Airport as recovery operations proceed. The confirmed death toll stands at 167, with numbers expected to rise as rescue teams continue their work.
Investigators have recovered the black box from the South Korean aircraft, which may provide crucial information about the circumstances leading to the crash. Initial reports suggest the aircraft encountered problems with its landing gear, similar to the Air Canada incident.
The triple aviation emergency has highlighted the critical importance of aircraft maintenance, emergency response protocols, and landing gear systems. The Air Canada flight in Halifax and KLM aircraft in Norway demonstrated successful emergency procedures, while the tragic outcome in South Korea underscores the potentially catastrophic consequences of landing gear failures. Authorities in Canada, Norway, and South Korea continue their respective investigations into these incidents.
