South Korea has ordered a maintenance audit of all Boeing 737-800 airliners operated by its airlines after another Jeju Airlines crew reported a landing gear issue. The flight returned to Seoul after taking off due to an unspecified problem with the gear. The problem occurred a day after a Jeju 737-800 landed gear-up at Muan International Airport and hit a berm holding an ILS antenna on the infield. Two crew members survived but the other 179 occupants died. There are 101 737-800s on the South Korean registry, distributed among six carriers.
On Sunday, Jeju Airlines spokesman Chosun Biz told a news conference that the aircraft was properly maintained. “We prioritize safe flight and conduct thorough maintenance before and after departures, so this is not an issue of maintenance negligence,” he said. Transport Ministry spokesman Joo Jong-wan apparently wants to make sure of that and ordered a complete audit of 737-800 operations. “We plan to implement rigorous aviation safety inspections in response to the (landing gear) incidents,” he said.
