Korean Air's (KAL) battered safety record suffered another blow on 30 September when a Boeing MD-82 landing in wet weather at Ulsan Airport overran the runway by 150m (470ft), less than two months after another major incident at Seoul involving a KAL Boeing 747-400.
According to the airline, three of the 142 passengers aboard the domestic flight from Seoul were injured during evacuation, while the aircraft suffered minor damage. Independent sources say the KAL aircraft suffered a collapsed main gear, suspected wing damage and engine ingestion.
KAL, in the meantime, is trying to secure a full $155 million insurance payout on the 747-400, which was heavily damaged after veering off the runway at Seoul. The airline contends the aircraft is a write off, while Boeing has assessed the cost of repair at just under $100 million.
The incident follows two recent, potentially serious, take-off and landing incidents, one involving a China Eastern Airlines Boeing MD-11, forced to make a nosegear-up landing at Shanghai Qingdao International Airport on 10 September, injuring 26 people after the retracted front gear failed to lock up after take-off.
Investigators are trying to determine whether asymmetric thrust caused a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 767-300ER to veer 30° off the runway on take-off from Ho Chi Minh City on 13 September, causing some $8-10 million worth of gear and engine ingestion damage.
Source: Flight International
