SEOUL, Jan 31 (Reuters) – An investigation into a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, is being delayed due to a large amount of fuel and oxygen still on board, an air crash investigation official told Reuters.
The fire, which began around 10:15 p.m. (9:15 p.m. Singapore time) on Jan 28 as the Airbus A321ceo jet was preparing for departure to Hong Kong, was first detected in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane by a flight attendant, an Air Busan spokesperson told Reuters on Jan 31.
All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated using emergency slides, with only a few minor injuries reported. The incident comes just a month after South Korea’s deadliest air disaster, when a Jeju Air plane crashed on Muan Airport’s runway, killing all but two of the 181 people on board1.
The burnt-out Airbus A321ceo plane, which has holes along the length of the fuselage roof but intact wings and engines, still contains around 16,280 kg of jet fuel and other hazardous materials such as oxygen tanks, according to a Transport Ministry statement on Jan 30. Authorities are conducting a risk management assessment before proceeding with a full investigation1.
South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, joined by representatives from France’s BEA air accident investigation agency, is leading the investigation. The presence of fuel and oxygen on board poses a significant hazard, and authorities need to decide whether to offload the fuel before the investigation can continue.