Global Skies in Terror: Back-to-Back Plane Crashes Spark Panic and Questions

Suddenly, the global aviation industry is experiencing the horrors of all times. The social media is flooded with videos and photos of the tragic plane crashes that occurred in less than last 48 hours.  

People are wondering to know reasons, and while many are scared of boarding aeroplanes even amid the busy holiday season.  

From the tragic Azerbaijan Plane Crash to Korea’s Jeju Air crash, more than 200 people have lost their lives in just two days. Not only this, but the fire also flooded crash landing of Air Canada commercial plane at the St John’s airport raised more questions, leaving the people wondering the reason behind these alarming tragedies, questioning the safety protocols and equipment failures in the aviation industry.  

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According to the reports, December 2024 has recorded six horrific crashes, leaving 236 people dead with five plane crashes recorded in just one week.  

Reason behind frequent plane crashes  

While there are a number of reasons behind the mishappenings being faced in the aviation sector across the globe, some of the most significant factors include technical failures, bird strike and bad weather.  

Questions still surround around exactly what caused these recent flights to crash and why the death toll is so high.  

Global authorities have also launched investigations into these incidents in a bid to find the exact answers.  

Jeju Airplane Crash 

The recent and the most devastating of these incidents took place this Sunday when a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan Airport in South Korea. 

The plane Boeing 737-800, which was reportedly returning from Bangkok, Thailand, lost its control after its front landing gear failed to deploy, resulting it to skid off the runway and blast into a concrete fence. This collision results in a devastating fire which spread across the quickly within a few seconds, leaving 179 people dead.  

The plane which was carrying 181 people on board saw two people surviving the tragic crash including a crew member and a passenger who were pulled from the wreckage by emergency responders.  

While the exact cause of the landing gear failure is still under investigation, officials have expressed shock over the incident and called it one of the South Korea’s worst aviation disasters. 

A tragic crash in Muan claims 179 lives as Jeju Air Flight #7C2216 veers off the runway during landing. Reports suggest landing gear failure or bird strike. The aircraft attempted a belly landing before hitting the perimeter wall. Investigation ongoing. #avgeek #planecrash pic.twitter.com/WgYVIe1CWG

— Aveonews (@aveonews) December 29, 2024

Meanwhile, the fire chief of South Korea, Lee Jeong-hyun said that the preliminary cause of the accident is believed to be a bird strike along with adverse weather patterns, which led to a malfunction in the landing gear of the plane.  

The flight was warned of a bird strike by the control tower as it came in to land, he added saying that an explosion on the right wing occurred just before the landing. 

Notably, bird strikes can cause fires inside the plane’s engines, damaging critical systems which can render the landing gear inoperable.  

Azerbaijan Plane Crash 

The second most tragic incident took place on December 25 when an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer ERJ-190 AR crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the loss of lives of 38 people. The plane which was flying from Baku to Grozny declared an emergency and was forced to divert because of technical issues and tough weather patterns.  

After facing a series of failed landing attempts at its scheduled destination in Grozny, the aircraft collided with the ground near Aktau, leaving 38 out of 67 dead while several others were hospitalised.  

Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer ERJ-190AR (4K-AZ65) passenger plane traveling from Baku to Grozny crashes near Aktau, Kazakhstan earlier today. There were 72 occupants including five crew members.

Six survivors are in critical condition. Pending any official confirmation,… pic.twitter.com/cjRzOrPzQ8

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) December 25, 2024

It was then reported that the plane was damaged due to a shooting from the ground in Russia. This was revealed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. He also accused Moscow of having attempted to hide the cause of this deadly jet crash and called for Russia to admit this mistake.   

KLM Flight Crash 

KLM’s Boeing 737-800 which was enroute to Amsterdam from Oslo experienced a hydraulic failure soon after take-off on Saturday, December 28, pushing the crew to divert to Sandefjord Airport which is located around 110 km south of Oslo. 

Video shows KLM flight #KL1204 skidding off the runway after an emergency landing at Torp Airport. The Boeing 737-800 (PH-BXM) was en route from Oslo to Amsterdam when it experienced a hydraulic failure. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Video @mackjacklar#BreakingNews… https://t.co/5OE4h79YSV pic.twitter.com/JPxxkM3zuL

— Antony Ochieng,KE✈️ (@Turbinetraveler) December 28, 2024

Reportedly, the plane touched down safely but lost control during the landing and veered off the runway before finally coming to a halt near a taxiway. The plane which had 182 people onboard received major injuries to the body while none of the passengers was reported to have sustained any major injuries.  

Tragic crash in Brazil 

Meanwhile, on December 22, ten members of a family were killed when a private plane crashed in the city of Gramado, Brazil. The plane was piloted by Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio who died along with his wife, three daughters and other relatives.  

🚨 Plane Crash in Brazilian Tourist Hotspot Kills 10 Family Members

A tragic plane crash in Gramado, a popular tourist destination in southern Brazil, claimed the lives of 10 family members on board.

⚠️ The small aircraft, flown by businessman Luiz Claudio Salgueiro Galeazzi,… pic.twitter.com/zCUxuh9FkG

— Kristy Tallman (@KristyTallman) December 23, 2024

It was said that the small aircraft struck a building’s chimney, a house and a shop while it was descending, resulting in several people on ground being injured with two of them reported to be in a serious condition.  

Other plane crashes in December 

Apart from these major crashes which occurred this month, several others were also reported. On December 22, a Britten Norman BN-2B-26 Islander crashed in Papua New Guinea, killing all five on board. This plane was on a charter flight to Lae-Nadzab Airport from Wasu Airport.  

Another plane, a Bombardier 100 1A10 Challenger 300 crashed near San Fernando Airport in Argentia, resulting in the death of both pilots.  

Meanwhile, on December 17, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan which was being operated by Kamaka Air LLC crashed near Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, resulting in fatalities. It is said that the aircraft lost its control soon after liftoff and crashed into a building.  

Most tragedies occur onboard Boeing 737 

With two out of the three plane crashes in the past 24 hours occurring on Boeing 737, people are storming social media and are saying, “If it’s Boeing, I’m not going.” 

Earlier this year also, a door flew off a Alaska Airlines’ plane mid-flight, forcing the aircraft to return to Portland, Oregan minutes after take-off. This aircraft was also a Boeing.  

Not only this, but several whistle-blowers have come forward this year to speak specifically about the Boeing 737 and two of those whistleblowers died unexpectedly. One of him was John Barnett who died by suicide on March 9, 2024, and this individual alleged that Boeing managers ignored formal procedures to construct planes quickly.  

🚨 #BREAKING: BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER FOUND DEAD OF “SELF-INFLICTED” GUNSHOT WOUND IN THE US

This comes just a FEW DAYS after ex-Boeing employee John Barnett began handing over key pieces of evidence in a lawsuit alleging the airplane manufacturer covered up safety concerns such as… pic.twitter.com/J0PvQej8M9

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 11, 2024

He further claimed that the employees were being pressured to construct planes quickly in order to save time, which led to fault parts being used in the process.  

Another Boeing whistleblower, Josh Dean, also died in May 2024 due to an unknown infection in his body.  

While these deaths and incidents could be a coincidence, but this has surely led to the passengers feeling unsafe about travelling onboard the Boeing planes.