New video shows a massive flock of birds near Muan airport before the tragic Jeju Air crash

SBS News has released exclusive footage shedding new light on the tragic Jeju Air passenger plane crash. 

The video, captured from an angle previously unseen, underwent AI-enhanced quality improvement, revealing a massive flock of birds, estimated to be 10 times the size of the Boeing 737-800 airplane, colliding with the aircraft moments before the explosion.

On the morning of the incident at 8:57 AM, Muan Airport’s control tower issued a "bird activity caution" to the approaching passenger plane. This alert is typically given when a large flock or a sizable bird is detected near the airstrip.

Just two minutes later, the pilot sent an emergency "Mayday" signal three times, reporting to the control tower that the plane had collided with a flock of birds. The collision is believed to have occurred between 8:57 and 8:59 AM.

The newly analyzed CCTV footage, enhanced using artificial intelligence, shows a dark, cloud-like object surrounding the plane.

Hwang Min Goo, Director of the Forensic Video Analysis Lab, explained: "It is highly unlikely that the object is a cloud or smoke, as it changes shape and flies freely. This indicates that it is almost certainly a large flock of birds."

The footage further reveals that a portion of the bird flock dispersed in front of the plane’s path before converging again after the collision. Hwang Min Goo added, "A small group of birds wouldn’t appear this dark and dense. There would have to be an enormous number of birds to form such a large mass. Considering the size of the flock compared to the plane, it’s likely that hundreds of birds were flying toward the aircraft."

According to Director Hwang, the formation resembled a "snake-like" shape, extending hundreds of meters. It is suspected that the flock was large enough that a large number of birds were sucked into both engines of the plane, causing complete engine failure.

Aviation safety expert Kwon Bo Heon from Far East University commented: "When the collision happened, the captain likely reported a bird strike immediately, and the co-pilot would have declared an emergency with the 'Mayday' call."

The incident, which occurred during the plane's attempt to land at Muan International Airport after departing from Bangkok, resulted in 179 fatalities, with only two crew members surviving. The aviation community and the nation continue to mourn the devastating loss as authorities work to understand the full scope of the disaster.

Korean netizens commented:

"Isn't this more like thousands of birds, not just hundreds?"

"I didn’t know birds could flock together like that—it's massive."

"There hasn’t even been an official conclusion, but people jump to one thing and panic, then switch to something else. It’s ridiculous."

"Experts told us to wait because investigations take time, but people just want to play detective from their keyboards."

"Blaming the airport entirely? Let’s stop making premature claims. They’ll be investigating all possibilities, so just wait for the results."

"Airports are naturally in areas where migratory birds are common. Instead of rushing to blame the airport, can’t we just wait for the investigation results?"

"Why build an airport in a migratory bird zone if it’s known to be dangerous?"

"Given that flock size, the plane really shouldn’t have attempted to land at that moment."

"A bird strike of this scale isn’t normal at all... It’s heartbreaking—they even managed a belly landing..."

"I live near the Nakdong River, so I’ve seen bird flocks before, but I’ve never seen a group that massive. It’s overwhelming."

"If this is legit, that flock must have looked bigger than the plane itself—crazy."