SEOUL, December 30. /TASS/. A Jeju Air plane returned to its departure airport due to a problem with its landing gear, a situation similar to the incident involving another of the company’s planes that crashed at South Korea's Muan International Airport on December 29, Yonhap reported, citing sources.
The plane took off from Gimpo International Airport on Monday, but the crew soon informed passengers of a mechanical defect caused by a landing gear malfunction. It returned to the airport about an hour after departure.
The aircraft is the same model (Boeing B737-800) as the one that crashed the previous day. Jeju Air's fleet of 41 aircraft includes 39 airplanes of this model.
The plane crash on December 29 claimed the lives of 179 of the 181 people on board, making it the deadliest airplane crash in South Korea's history.
The country has declared a week of mourning. The two survivors are crew members.
According to preliminary data, the crash was caused by a landing gear malfunction due to a collision with birds. The plane attempted to land but was forced to make an extra lap. Witnesses reported seeing flames coming from the airplane's engine while it was still in the air. The crew attempted to land the plane on its fuselage, but the aircraft was unable to reduce speed and struck a building at the end of the runway, resulting in an explosion and fire.