In brief
On December 29, 2024, a Boeing 737-800 crashed during its landing at Muan airport in South Korea, leading to the unfortunate death of 179 of the 181 individuals aboard. Authorities are currently probing several potential causes for the crash, including a possible bird strike – as the airport had issued a warning regarding wildlife in the vicinity – alongside concerns over a potential landing gear malfunction.
Bird strikes, although frequent in air travel, typically do not lead to grave consequences. Between 1988 and 2023, wildlife strikes in the U.S. alone resulted in 76 fatalities among civilian and military aircraft, as per a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report released in June. Birds are the primary culprits in these incidents, but the FAA’s definition of wildlife strikes extends to animals like coyotes and deer.In 2023, U.S. reports indicated approximately 19,603 incidents of wildlife strikes, averaging about 54 per day, with 3.6 percent resulting in aircraft damage. Notably, bird strikes have been linked to several past aviation disasters, such as the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash in March 2019, which resulted in the death of all 157 passengers on board. Investigations into the recent South Korean crash continue as authorities strive to uncover the underlying issues behind this tragedy.
