Spark Study Buddy (Challenger): Air Busan flight from Hong Kong aborts landing after malfunction scare

[3] The ill-fated flight carrying 181 people had attempted a wheelless landing, also called a belly landing, amid undercarriage issues. The issues were suspected to have been caused by a bird strike, leading to skidding and crashing into a runway wall, triggering an explosion.

[4] On January 3, Air Busan flight BX392 departed from Hong Kong at 1.50am, carrying 112 passengers. It reportedly encountered an issue with its landing gear status during its approach to Gimhae International Airport in Busan.

[5] The pilot was unable to confirm if the landing gear was functioning. This prompted a decision to circle around for additional checks. Following the go-around, air traffic controllers visually inspected the landing gear and confirmed it had been deployed correctly. The aircraft subsequently landed without incident.

[6] A go‐around is a flight procedure in which an arriving aircraft aborts its landing and returns to the landing queue. Go-arounds are typically initiated if a pilot or controller is not completely satisfied that the requirements for a safe landing are in place.

[7] The aircraft touched down at 6.32am, only 12 minutes late. “This incident occurred due to a time difference between the left and right indicators on the instrument displaying the operation status of the landing gear during the attempted landing,” an Air Busan official was quoted as saying by Chosun Biz.

[8] Maeil Business newspaper quoted another airline official as saying: “It is presumed to be a temporary error in the system sensor connected to the instrument, but we will conduct additional checks for close confirmation.” Further inspections were planned to verify the issue. A subsidiary of Asiana Airline, Air Busan was established in 2008 as a regional carrier. It is the third-largest Korean low-cost airline.

Source: South China Morning Post, January 3

1. According to paragraph 1, why did the pilot of the Air Busan aircraft abort its first landing attempt?

2. What does the “ill-fated” flight in paragraph 3 refer to?

3. In paragraph 5, the plane did a go-around so that …
A. it could make a quicker emergency landing.
B. it could maintain a safe distance from other planes.
C. air traffic controllers could check its landing gear.
D. none of the above

4. What happens during a “go-around” according to paragraph 6?

5. In paragraph 7, what was the scheduled arrival time of the aircraft?

6. Complete the following paragraph using “could” or “should”. (3 marks)

The Air Busan flight incident (i) _____ have had more serious consequences if the landing gear had not been deployed correctly. Airlines (ii) __________ prioritise passenger safety above all else. In addition, better maintenance procedures (iii) _____ have helped identify and address any issues with the landing gear system before the flight.

1. The pilot was worried about a suspected malfunction in the plane’s landing gear.
2. a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok which crash-landed at Muan International Airport on December 29 (accept all similar answers)
3. C
4. An arriving aircraft aborts its landing and returns to the landing queue.
5. 6.20am
6. (i) could; (ii) should; (iii) could