Pilots unaware of concrete hazard at Muan Airport before crash

[Anchor]

We will now provide breaking news on the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.

There are increasing indications that the pilots were unaware of the presence of a concrete structure beneath the localizer at Muan Airport.

This suggests that they may have attempted to land the fuselage without considering the possibility of colliding with the concrete.

Reporter Oh Dae-seong has the details.

[Report]

Is there anything unusual about the airport runway conditions?

Are there any unusual facilities in the vicinity?

These are essential pieces of information for safe takeoff and landing.

This is the 'Aviation Notice.'

Changes at each airport are reflected regularly.

We opened the latest data for Muan Airport.

While it mentions that the runway was closed, there is no mention of the concrete mound.

The same goes for another information network, the 'Aviation Information Publication.'

[Kim In-kyu/Director of Flight Training at Korea Aerospace University: "Specific details, such as the use of concrete, are not mentioned in airport information. Pilots likely wouldn’t perceive it as a threat."]

Pilots generally believe that if there are no prior warnings, there is little reason to doubt the safety of airport facilities.

[Current Captain/Voice Altered/Over 20 Years of Experience: "We trust that the airport will handle it well; international standards are well established. We believe they will manage it properly. I have never seen such cases (concrete mounds) at overseas airports."]

The circumstances surrounding the construction of the concrete mound are also being gradually confirmed.

The addition of a concrete slab during the 2023 renovation was an intentional design.

[Jeong Seon-woo/Director of Navigation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "The designer planned the concrete slab to stabilize the area because the ground was unstable, as conveyed by the airport corporation."]

However, the reasons for using concrete supports during the initial construction remain under investigation.

This is KBS News, Oh Dae-seong.