A newly released video showing the final moments of Jeju Air Flight 2216 has emerged, giving the world a heartbreaking look into the final moments before a tragic crash that killed 179 people.
The footage, obtained and aired by KBS, runs 2 minutes and 40 seconds and includes audio and visuals recorded from the ground as the aircraft attempted its emergency landing on Dec. 29, 2024.
The video, released Tuesday, coincides with the 100-day mark since the accident and is expected to offer key insights into the still-ongoing investigation.
Throughout the clip, voices behind the camera are heard cheering for the pilot in a desperate, emotional effort to encourage a safe landing.
"Just a little more... Come home, come home!" one person is heard pleading.
Online reactions to the video were swift and emotional. Many praised the pilot's final efforts in the face of overwhelming circumstances.
"The pilot handled these final moments so perfectly that it really breaks my heart," one commenter wrote on Korean forum theqoo.
Another added, "The captain tried so hard... This is so sad."
"Watching it again, I realize even more how great of a landing that was," said another.
Flight 2216 was en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan, South Korea, when it encountered what officials described as an "in-flight systems emergency."
The aircraft declared an emergency but lost contact with air traffic control minutes before impact.
All 179 passengers and crew members perished.
In January, investigators said the plane's cockpit voice recorder stopped working at 4 minutes and 7 seconds before the crash, a fact that has spurred public anxiety and stoked conspiracy theories on the internet.
The release of the video is seen by many as a crucial step toward understanding what transpired during the flight's final descent.
"I still don't understand why the localizer was made out of concrete?
How does anyone come up with such a crazy idea?" one commenter asked, referencing a controversial piece of infrastructure at the crash site.
Another noted, "Judging by the technical terms they're using, the people who took the video must work at the airport... I'm crying."
Authorities have not confirmed the identities of those who recorded the video, but speculation suggests they may be aviation staff or personnel familiar with aircraft terminology.
"The pilot literally did their best. It's just so heartbreaking that it had to turn out the way it did," another viewer said.
The video is now being reviewed by crash investigators as part of the official inquiry into the cause of the disaster.
Jeju Air has not commented on the newly released footage. The investigation remains ongoing.
