A simulation shows that without this obstacle at the end of the runway, the December 2024 accident would not have caused any casualties.

The 179 people killed in South Korea's deadliest plane crash in December 2024 would likely have survived if it hadn't been for a concrete wall at the end of the runway, according to a simulation revealed Thursday by a member of parliament.

On December 29, 2024, a Boeing 737 operated by the low-cost carrier Jeju Air, arriving from Thailand, made a belly landing at Muan Airport after a bird strike, before crashing into a wall at the end of the runway and bursting into flames. The crash killed 179 people. Only one flight attendant and one steward survived.

A simulation carried out at the request of the government concluded that all passengers would likely have survived without the wall, with only minor injuries, according to opposition lawmaker Kim Eun-hye, who made the findings public.

If the wall at Muan Airport had been less robust, "the aircraft would likely have broken through" this obstacle, "and the resulting impact would not have been significant enough to cause serious injury," according to the simulation report. "The impact sustained by the aircraft during its slide along the ground was not of sufficient magnitude to cause serious injury," the same source stated.

In the absence of an obstacle on the runway, the aircraft "would have slid for approximately 770 meters before stopping," concludes this simulation.

The concrete structure, containing a radio antenna system, is used to help aircraft orient themselves during landings. Its presence had sparked outrage and protests from the victims' families. According to international aviation safety recommendations, such navigational equipment should be made of breakable materials.

The families suspected this

This report confirms the families' "long-standing suspicions," Lee Hyo-eun, who lost her 24-year-old daughter in the crash, told AFP. "For a long time, we believed that everyone—including my daughter—could have survived if there hadn't been a concrete structure at the end of the runway," she added. This study "only adds to our grief, knowing that these lives could have been saved," she said.

In 2025, a final investigation report was announced for June 2026. In addition to the wall and the birds, a defect in the landing gear was mentioned in the explanations for the human toll.