Role of Concrete Wall Near Runway Questioned in South Korea Plane Crash

Aviation analysts are considering several factors that might have contributed to a deadly plane crash in South Korea, including a concrete structure near the runway that the airliner slammed into, exploding and killing 179 of the 181 people aboard.

Most airports don’t have similar structures in such proximity to runways, experts said. When they do, they are typically made of softer materials designed to break apart or absorb impact with minimal damage to a plane that overruns a runway.

Details about the cause of the crash on Sunday of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 on, the worst ever on South Korean soil, will likely remain unclear until investigators release their preliminary findings, expected in the coming month. Experts cautioned against drawing conclusions, including about the possible role of airport infrastructure, until a full review of evidence is complete.

But in the days ahead, “investigators will be looking at that wall,” said Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit that provides safety guidance to the aviation industry.

Barriers near runways “should break easily in the case of a runway overrun so the impact isn’t catastrophic,” Mr. Shahidi said. “What we saw here was a head-on collision with a concrete wall that appears very thick,” he added.

The plane involved in Sunday’s crash, a Boeing 787-800, had taken off from Bangkok and was landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s southwest. As the plane was preparing to land, the airport warned the pilot about a potential bird strike. They aborted their first attempt at landing and descended from the opposite direction, which local officials said they were allowed to do.