An Air Busan Airbus A321-200 destined to Hong Kong (HKG) caught fire while preparing for departure at Gimhae International Airport in Busan (PUS).
While flight BX391 was being prepared for departure, reports indicate that fire broke out in the tail section of the aircraft around 10:30 p.m. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were subsequently evacuated, with only three passengers sustaining minor injuries.
Emergency officials attended to the aircraft quickly, but were unable to save the frame, as intense flames resulted in the entire top section of the fuselage being burnt to a crisp.
Following the incident, the South Koren Ministry of Transportation issued the following statement (translated):
“On January 28th (Tuesday) around 22:15, on Air Busan flight ABL391 (Busan-Hong Kong, HL7763, A321) which was scheduled to depart from Gimhae Airport apron, a fire occurred in the rear interior of the aircraft, and the related situation is as follows.
“All 176 passengers (169 passengers, 6 crew members, 1 maintenance engineer) who were aboard the Air Busan aircraft have completed evacuation through emergency slides.
“We inform you that currently the Gimhae Airport Fire Department has been dispatched and is in the process of suppressing the fire on the Air Busan aircraft.
“The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has begun operating a Central Accident Management Headquarters centred on the Director General of Aviation Policy, and at the scene, a Regional Accident Management Headquarters centred on the Head of Busan Regional Aviation Administration is operating and doing its best to manage the fire incident.”
The 17-year-old Airbus A321-200 registered HL7763 was first delivered to Asiana Airlines in 2007 before joining Air Busan in June 2017.
I admire how the passengers took the situation seriously by not trying to bring their carry-on baggage during the evacuation procedure. Time and time we have seen passengers lose their lives as a result of others selfishly trying to take all their belongings while exiting the aircraft.
Looking at the crash involving Aeroflot flight 1492, multiple videos showed the majority of passengers jumping down the slides with their carry-on bags, potentially creating a bottleneck on board.
Russian officials claimed bags were not a factor during the evacuation, but many other critics felt more lives could have been saved if passengers left their belongings on board as they should.
That incident claimed the lives of 41 of the 78 on board.
