Airport Design Under Scrutiny In JeJu Air Accident Probe
Experts question placement and structure of localizer antenna.
Credit: Wikimedia
While much remains unknown about the fatal Jeju Air accident in South Korea, what is clear is the tragic role played by the localizer antenna installation off the end of the runway. The hardened structure surrounding the antenna undoubtedly contributed greatly to the destruction of the Boeing 737 as it skidded off the runway and slammed into the unyielding concrete.
Experts have explained that, given the necessity of a localizer antenna being located on the runway centerline, great effort has been expended worldwide to make the antennas’ structures as light and “breakaway” as possible. Not so here. And while the Muan International Airport’s footprint doesn’t leave much room for an overrun, experienced airline pilots have cringed at how close the antenna was to the end of the runway. And if there were ever a case where some runway length could be sacrificed to install an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), Muan International would be a prime candidate.
An article published by the Al Jazeera news site quotes University of Southern California civil engineering professor Najmedin Meshkati saying, “The rigid structure proved catastrophic when the skidding aircraft made an impact. Undoubtedly, had the aircraft instead encountered the airport wall, which would have provided less resistance, the survival rate might have been higher.”
In discussing the embankment and the concrete foundation of the antenna cluster, Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, declined to speculate on the quality of the design. But he did say that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines call for such structures to be fabricated to break away easily. Shahidi told Al Jazeera, “The standards also define the proximity of such structures near runway ends. The investigators will examine the concrete structure at the end of the runway to determine if it complied with these standards, including its placement and proximity to the end of the runway.”
