Last week can definitely be considered a "black week" for the global aviation industry.

In addition to one of the most serious plane crashes in South Korea's history, possibly caused by a bird strike preventing the landing gear from being deployed, there were also two other major aviation safety incidents. All fingers point to the same aircraft model, which is the Boeing 737-800!

In fact, on the day after the South Korean accident, another Boeing aircraft of the same model operated by Jeju Air had to return shortly after takeoff due to landing gear failure and ultimately landed successfully.

Perhaps many are not very familiar with the 737-800, but it is the predecessor of the famous 737 Max, which faced two fatal accidents five years ago leading to groundings around the globe.

Incident Overview

1. On December 29, a Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft went off the runway and exploded while landing at Wooan Airport in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. There were 175 passengers and 6 crew members on board, totaling 181 people. The Jeollanam-do Fire Department reported that aside from the 2 rescued crew members, it is expected that the remaining individuals in the accident all perished.

According to reports from the police and fire department cited by the South Korean "JoongAng Daily," preliminary investigations suggest that the plane struck a flock of birds, making it impossible to deploy the landing gear. The Korea News Agency stated that during the landing process, the landing gear malfunctioned, and the plane deviated from the runway while attempting to land, crashing into the airport's perimeter wall, which caused a fire.

On the same day, a Boeing 737-800 from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines made an emergency landing in Norway due to a hydraulic system failure. The flight was originally scheduled to fly from Oslo to Amsterdam but was diverted to Sandefjord Airport. Although the aircraft landed successfully, it exited runway 18 and stopped on the grass, nearly entering another runway. Fortunately, all 182 people on board, including the crew, were unharmed and are currently under observation.

The airlines stated in an official announcement that a loud noise was heard on board during the takeoff process.

On the morning of the 30th, another aircraft of the same model from Jeju Air in South Korea experienced abnormalities due to landing gear failure shortly after takeoff and returned, ultimately landing successfully.

Among the global fleet of active passenger aircraft, 15% are Boeing 737-800, which is the predecessor of the 737 Max.

According to statistics from aviation data provider Cirium, there are approximately 0.028 million active aircraft globally, of which about 15%, or 4,400 aircraft, are Boeing 737-800. This aircraft belongs to Boeing's next-generation 737 series and is the predecessor to the more modern 737 Max, which suffered two fatal accidents five years ago, leading to a global grounding.

Cirium's data shows that nearly 200 airlines globally use the 737-800. Since 1998, Boeing has delivered approximately 5,000 units to customers.

Currently, the age of the global 737-800 fleet ranges from about 5 years to over 27 years. A well-maintained passenger aircraft can fly for 20 to 30 years, or even longer. According to data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the crashed aircraft was 15 years old. The first operator of this aircraft was Europe's Ryanair, which leased it to South Korea's Jeju Air through SMBC Aviation Capital in 2017.

Najmedin Meshkati, a professor of engineering at the University of Southern California, stated that the landing gear design of the 737-800 series is well-engineered with a reliable track record. However, poor maintenance could lead to the landing gear failing to deploy properly.

However, aviation experts like Meshkati remind us not to rush to conclusions about such incidents. Aviation accidents are usually caused by multiple factors together, and in-depth investigations may take years to reveal the truth.

Boeing "adding insult to injury".

The continuous occurrence of major safety incidents this year has repeatedly dragged Boeing into the whirlpool of public opinion. Public information shows that in the past year, Boeing 737-800 has been involved in multiple accidents caused by abnormal landing gear.

On October 11, 2024, an IndiGo Airlines 737-800 experienced a hydraulic failure, causing the landing gear to be unable to retract, forcing it to return.

On May 9, 2024, a 737-800 from Turkish Corendon Airlines had a tire blowout on the front landing gear during landing.

In early January of this year, a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane from South Korea's T'way Air also experienced an engine fire due to a bird strike before landing at Incheon Airport. Ultimately, the plane landed successfully, with no injuries among the 122 people on board.

Also in January, Alaska Air's Boeing 737 MAX 9 experienced a door blowout, leading to a loss of cabin pressure, narrowly avoiding another fatal accident.

Even in March this year, the sudden death of the whistleblower who exposed safety issues at Boeing further sparked public concern about Boeing's quality problems. Since 2010, Barnett worked as a quality manager at the North Charleston facility, which is responsible for producing the Boeing 787 aircraft. In 2019, Barnett leaked to the media that workers under excessive pressure deliberately installed substandard parts on the aircraft in the production line.

Various factors have caused Boeing's order situation to be severely impacted this year. According to data from Forecast International, in the first nine months of this year, Boeing delivered 291 aircraft to customers, while its competitor Airbus delivered 497 aircraft, resulting in Boeing's delivery numbers being just over half of Airbus's.