Yesterday evening, an Airbus A-321 aircraft registration HL7763, operated by Air Busan, caught fire just before takeoff. The airplane, departing from Busan-Gimhae International Airport, was headed to Hong Kong. On board were 169 passengers, 6 crewmembers and a maintenance technician. According to local press reports, all were evacuated via safety slides, unharmed.

According to passengers and crewmembers, the flames broke out from the tail of the plane, precisely in the area where the hand luggage is located, causing a dense cloud of smoke. Firefighters extinguished the flames approximately an hour after the fire started.

As usual, the local Aviation Railway Accident Investigation Committee (ARAC) has started an investigation to clarify the causes of the accident; the decoding of the black boxes will be useful to clarify the facts. Although some air connections have been delayed, the airport has continued to operate regularly; Air Busan has scheduled the cancellation of some flights today as well. Curiously, as confirmed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, both the wings and the engines of the plane were not damaged by the flames.

This accident brings to mind the tragic events of late 2024, when at Muan International Airport a B-737/800 went off the runway and exploded after hitting the perimeter wall of the airport: the victims of the worst air accident that South Korea can remember were 177. 

See for details AVIONEWS 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Below, the video related to the Busan event: