South Korean Airline Suffers Mechanical Malfunction One Day After Crash

A Jeju Air plane reportedly experienced a mechanical malfunction on Monday after takeoff, a day after the airline’s devastating plane crash. The passenger jet was able to land safely after leaving Gimpo Airport in Seoul, following an unidentified landing-gear issue, Reuters reported, citing local news source Yonhap. According to Business Standard, the plane was en route for Jeju, but had to re-land at Gimpo Airport after the malfunction. The plane was a Boeing 737-800, per the outlet, the same type of aircraft that crashed on Sunday, killing at least 179 people. Newsweek has contacted Boeing and Jeju Air via email for comment. Why It Matters A landing-gear issue was detected during Monday morning’s flight. The Associated Press reported that the front landing gear of the plane that crashed didn’t seem to be deployed in updates shared by South Korean news outlets, although the cause of Sunday’s crash is still being investigated. The wreckage of the plane that crashed in South Korea on Sunday. Another flight run by the same airline has had a landing-gear issue. The wreckage of the plane that crashed in South Korea on Sunday. Another flight run by the same airline has had a landing-gear issue. Kyodo/Kyodo via AP What to Know The Jeju Air flight, 7C101, departed from Gimpo Airport for Jeju at 6:37 a.m. local time on Monday, and it was reportedly an hour into the flight that the plane experienced issues with its landing gear and returned back to Gimpo Airport, the Sun reported. A replacement flight was scheduled to depart the airport at 8:30 a.m. local time, which the passengers were reportedly transferred to, according to the British newspaper. The outlet also reported that 21 of the 161 passengers on board the initial flight to Jeju chose not to board the second plane, which was allegedly another Boeing 737 model. The Boeing 737-800 plane is used globally, reportedly accounting for around 15 percent of the world’s fleet of passenger planes, according to Business Standard. Of Jeju Air’s 41 planes, 39 of them are Boeing 737s, the outlet reported. What People Are Saying Song Kyung-Hoon, head of the management support office at Jeju Air, told a news conference, as reported by the Daily Mail: “Shortly after takeoff, a signal indicating a landing gear issue was detected on the aircraft’s monitoring system. “At 6:57 a.m., the captain communicated with ground control, and after taking additional measures, the landing gear returned to normal operation. “However, the decision was made to return to the airport for a thorough inspection of the aircraft.” Joo Jong-Wan, head of the aviation policy bureau at the South Korean transport ministry, was cited in the Daily Mail as saying: “101 B737-800 series aircraft are currently in operation in South Korea. Consequently, we are reviewing plans to conduct a special inspection on B737-800 aircraft.” What’s Next The cause of the mechanical issue for the plane on Monday is still being investigated, and there is an ongoing investigation into the crash on Sunday. Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.