Witnesses to the South Korean plane crash have described what they heard and saw before the crash.
The Jeju Air passenger plane, (Boeing 737-800) had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving at Muan Airport in South Korea early this morning at 9:03am local time.
Footage of the plane’s descent shows the Jeju Air plane skidding down the runway with it’s landing gear appearing to still be closed before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames.
The Jeju Air plane skidded on the runway before exploding (Twitter)
Carrying 181 passengers and crew, the fire station confirmed that at least 177 people died as a result of the crash, while two survivors, reported by Sky News to have been two crew members, were able to be pulled from the plane’s tail section.
It was previously reported that 174 people died in the plane crash – 83 women, 80 men and 11 people who were not immediately identifiable, however, the death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Eyewitnesses to the crash have since described hearing multiple explosions and flames in the plane’s engine.
The death toll has risen to 176 (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
According to Yonhap News Agency and the BBC, a witness named Cho said: “I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light.
“Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
Meanwhile, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was close to the airport where he was staying, told Yonhap that he saw a spark on the right wing before the plane crashed.
“I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion.” they said.
Another witness, Kim Yong-cheol, said he heard ‘metallic scraping’ twice five minutes before hearing a ‘loud explosion’ and seeing ‘black smoke billowing into the sky’.
A distress signal had been sent out from the plane before it landed, and the plane’s black boxes, which include flight data and cockpit recording, has been recovered and will be studied to determine the cause of the explosion, the transport ministry have said.
Witnesses recalled hearing a ‘series of explosions’ (Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Korean transport ministry officials also say that the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it landed and also gave the aircraft permission to land elsewhere.
According to The Guardian, ministers shared that one of the surviving crew members had mentioned a bird strike after being rescued.
Jeju Air offered a ‘deep apology’ over the crash and in a statement and claimed it would do the ‘utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident’, and the company’s president, Kim E-bae, said that he feels ‘full responsibility’ for the crash. Although he says that no mechanical problems with the plane were noted during routine checks, Kim says will wait for the results of a government investigation to determine the cause and apologised to the families of the deceased.Featured Image Credit: Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images/ Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Topics: World News
Britt Jones
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Published 18:17 5 Jan 2024 GMT
Director posts photo with actor taken just days before plane crash killed star and two daughters
The Speed Racer actor died alongside his two young daughters on Thursday
A film director posted a photo with an actor, taken just days before a plane crash killed the star and his two daughters.
Yesterday (4 January), Christian Oliver died after the small plane he was travelling in nose-dived into the sea off the island of Bequia which is part of St. Vincent in the Caribbean.
The 51-year-old was known for films such as Speed Racer and The Good German and worked on last year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
According to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, the German actor and his daughters (Madita, 10, and Annik, 12) were on board the single-jet engine when it experienced ‘difficulties’ and ‘plummeted into the ocean’ not long after take off.
Instagram/nicklyondirector
Police said the small plane had just taken off from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm and was headed for the island nation of St. Lucia, 65 miles to the north.
The plane’s pilot and owner, Robert Sachs, was also reported to have died in the crash.
Oliver had recently been working on a new film in the US called Forever Hold Your Peace.
The actor is listed on IMDB as playing ‘Ivan’ in the movie that is still in production.
Following the news of his death, the director paid tribute with a post on Instagram.
Instagram/christianoliverofficial
Sharing a snap of Oliver and him holding their hands up, Nick Lyon wrote: “This is our 5th film together. @christianoliverofficial and me produced this one, and this is our last day of filming!
“We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it! Thank you for being a great colleague, actor and friend @christianoliverofficial #foreverholdyourpeace.”
On Christmas Eve, just less than two weeks before his death, Oliver shared a snap from the film’s set with the caption: “….and that’s a wrap! Looking forward to 2024! #greatthingstocome #moviemagic.”
iambailing/Instagram
Actor Bai Ling also paid tribute on Instagram and said she’d been working on the film and was due to shoot a scene with him.
Praising how ‘brave’ and ‘gentle’ he was, she wrote: “Dear Christian Oliver @christianoliverofficial with tears in my eyes I cannot express the sorrow I felt when our director Nick called me not long ago, that the plane he took had crashed, including his beautiful 2 daughters and the pilot had all passed!
“I cried, it was our first and last film together, I loved working with him so much, but luckily you can see our #film it’s called #foreverholdyourpeace.”
The cause of the fatal crash remains under investigation.Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @nicklyondirector / Tara Ziemba / FilmMagic
Topics: World News, TV and Film, Instagram
Jess Battison
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Updated 17:50 5 Jan 2024 GMTPublished 17:31 5 Jan 2024 GMT
Indiana Jones actor Christian Oliver killed in plane crash along with daughters
The small plane had ‘difficulties’ just moments after take off
An Indiana Jones star has died in a plane crash along with his two young daughters.
The German actor and his girls were on holiday in the Caribbean when the tragedy took place.
Christian Klepser, 51, (who went by the stage name of Christian Oliver) died after the small plane he was travelling in nose-dived into the sea off of Bequia which is part of St. Vincent.
The star worked on the crew for 2023 Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Oliver is also known for Speed Racer as well as The Good German and was a producer for the 2021 movie Wrong Turn.
He also appeared on the cult American teen series Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
Tara Ziemba/FilmMagic
The dad originally grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, but had moved over to the US to boost his career.
According to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, the actor and his daughters (Madita, 10, and Annik, 12) were on board a small plane when it experienced ‘difficulties’ and ‘plummeted into the ocean’.
The plane’s pilot and owner, Robert Sachs, was also reported to have died in the crash.
Police said that the single-engine plane had just taken off from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm after midday yesterday (4 January).
They were due to be flying to the island nation of St. Lucia, 65 miles to the north.
Police have not confirmed exactly what caused this fatal crash but said the flight started to go wrong within moments of taking off.
Fishermen and divers from Paget Farm quickly rushed to the scene of the crash in their boats, while the SVG Coast Guard made its way to the site to lead in the rescue efforts.
Instagram/@iambailing
In a statement, police confirmed all four bodies were recovered from the aircraft and ocean by fishermen, divers and Coast Guard personnel. The victims were later pronounced dead by a medical practitioner.
“The RSVGPF expresses condolences to all who are negatively affected by this tragic incident,” the police department said in its statement.
Actor Bai Ling paid tribute to Oliver on Instagram and said she’d been working on a film called Forever Hold Your Peace with him and was due to shoot a scene with him.
Saying how ‘brave’ and ‘gentle’ he was, she wrote: “Dear Christian Oliver @christianoliverofficial with tears in my eyes I cannot express the sorrow I felt when our director Nick called me not long ago, that the plane he took had crashed, including his beautiful 2 daughters and the pilot had all passed!
“I cried cried, it was our first and last film together, I loved working with him so much, but luckily you can see our #film it’s called #foreverholdyourpeace.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.Featured Image Credit: Tara Ziemba/FilmMagic / Instagram / @christianoliverofficial
Topics: News, Celebrity, TV and Film
Jess Battison
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Updated 19:25 5 Jan 2024 GMTPublished 19:22 5 Jan 2024 GMT
Actor spoke about plans for 2024 in final post before being killed in plane crash along with daughters
The Speed Racer star tragically died while on holiday with his young daughters
An actor who died in a plane crash alongside his young daughters posted about his plans for 2024 just days before.
Christian Oliver was killed yesterday (4 January) when the small plane he and the girls were travelling in nose-dived into the sea off the tiny island of Bequia, part of St. Vincent in the Caribbean.
The German star was known for films including Speed Racer and The Good German and also worked on last year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
According to a statement from the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Oliver and his daughters (Annik, 12, and Madita, 10) were on board the single-jet engine when it experienced ‘difficulties’ and ‘plummeted into the ocean’.
Tara Ziemba/FilmMagic
The police said the plane had only just taken off from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm and was headed for the island nation of St. Lucia, 65 miles to the north.
A fourth body was also recovered from the crash – the plane’s owner and pilot, Robert Sachs.
Oliver had only recently been working on a new film over in the US, called Forever Hold Your Peace with the director and his cast mates paying tribute on Instagram.
Having previously shared his own group snap from the movie set, the actor posted what appears to be a snap from his Caribbean holiday to Instagram earlier this week.
Taken at sunset, people can be seen standing on the beach as Oliver wrote over the photo: “Let Love Rule. Wishing all of you the best for 2024!”
Instagram/@christianoliverofficial
Seemingly excited for the new year, he wrote in the caption: “Greetings from somewhere in paradise! To community and love… 2024 here we come!”
The comments of the post are now flooded with people paying tribute to the star as people say it ‘feels so surreal’.
Oliver is set to appear on our screens as the movie he just worked on is yet to be released.
Director Nick Lyon shared a snap of the pair on set with the heart-breaking caption: “This is our 5th film together. @christianoliverofficial and me produced this one, and this is our last day of filming! We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it! Thank you for being a great colleague, actor and friend.”
The cause of the fatal crash which killed the actor, his daughters and the pilot is still under investigation.Featured Image Credit: Miikka Skaffari / FilmMagic / Instagram / @christianoliverofficial
Topics: TV and Film, World News, Celebrity
Jess Battison
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Updated 12:41 16 Aug 2024 GMT+1Published 09:38 16 Aug 2024 GMT+1
Black box reveals chilling sounds heard moments before plane fell out of sky killing all 62 passengers
The co-pilot was heard asking ‘what was happening’ as the Voepass Linhas Aéreas Flight 2283 suddenly lost altitude
Investigators are piecing together the final moments of those onboard the Voepass Linhas Aéreas Flight 2283 after recordings from the black box were retrieved from the wreckage.
It captured a series of chilling sounds and terrified screams as the twin-engine turboprop tumbled out of the sky and crashed in the town of Vinhedo in São Paulo, Brazil, last Friday (9 August).
The 58 passengers and four crew members who were on the aircraft – which was bound for Guarulhos International Airport – were all tragically killed, with officials saying 60 of the victims have been identified so far.
Terrifying footage shared on social media showed how the the aircraft spiralling out of control, before plunging down into a cluster of trees – but by a miracle, nobody on the ground was hurt.
One traveller onboard the plane, 23-year-old Rosana Santos Xavier, had harrowingly sent her family a selfie before telling them she was ‘afraid of this flight’.
All 62 people onboard were killed in the horrific crash (MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The cause of the crash is still yet to be determined, but a preliminary report on the incident is expected in around 30 days.
For now, the contents of the black box which was retrieved from the wreckage of the Voepass jet is the only thing which can provide an indication of what exactly went wrong onboard flight 2283 last week.
The transcript of the final conversation in the cockpit is somewhat imperfect due to the propellers of the ATR 72-500 being located close to it on top of the fuselage, which therefore creates excessive noise and makes it harder to understand.
However, according to the Brazilian television network Globo, the noises it did pick up suggest the two pilots suddenly realised that the plane was experiencing a sharp drop in altitude approximately one minute before the devastating crash.
Co-pilot Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva is said to have been heard asking ‘what was happening’ before frantically requesting an increase in power, which he reportedly hoped would stabilise the plane and stop it from falling out of the sky.
The official cause of the deadly incident has not yet been determined (Ettore Chiereguini/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The distressing recording then came to an end with a loud bang after the screams of the 62 people onboard were heard, according to reports.
But throughout the recording, there were no distinctive warning noises – such as ones which would alert the crew to an engine failure, fire or electrical malfunction – picked up in the audio from the black box, the outlet further states.
Voepass said in a statement earlier this week: “The aircraft took off from Cascavel-PR bound for Guarulhos Airport, with 58 passengers and four crew members on board. VOEPASS has taken all measures to support those involved.
“There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board.
“The Company is providing support via telephone at 0800 9419712, available 24 hours a day, providing information to all its passengers, family members and employees.”