KLM jet skids off runway in Norway, tragedy in South Korea
There were moments of terror at Sandefjord-Torp Airport in Norway when a KLM Dutch Airlines plane skidded off the runway during an emergency landing. A video of the incident has appeared online.
A KLM Boeing 737-8K2 was forced to make an emergency landing at the airport near Oslo, during which it veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass. The incident was caused by a hydraulic system failure. It occurred on December 28th, shortly after takeoff, as the plane was headed to Amsterdam.
The airport was closed until further notice. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Plane crash in South Korea
The next day, on December 29th, there was a plane crash at Muan Airport in southwestern South Korea.
South Korea's Ministry of Transport described the crash as the most tragic aviation accident involving South Korean airlines in nearly thirty years. There were 181 people on board, including two Thai citizens, with the rest being South Korean, according to Reuters. Airport rescue services reported rescuing two individuals.
The head of Muan's fire department, Lee Jung-hyun, stated that investigators are analyzing potential causes of the crash, such as bird involvement and weather conditions. The Yonhap agency cited airport sources suggesting that a bird strike might have led to landing gear failure.
South Korean media also reported a message sent by one passenger to a relative, stating that a bird had become stuck in the airplane's wing.
