Korean Air A330 suffers damage after runway excursion.

KOREAN AIR AIRBUS A330-323 HL-7587 (MSN 0368)

A Korean Air Lines Airbus A330 travelling from Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN/RKSI), South Korea to Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB/RPVM), Philippines with 165 passengers and 11 crew suffered substantial damage after a runway overrun in the Philippines, in challenging weather conditions.

The accident took place on Sunday the 23rd of October. It involved flight KE-631, a service that Korean Air performs four times per week. The flight normally departs Seoul Incheon International Airport at 18:35 pm, but on Sunday it got away 45 minutes late at 19.20pm. It landed in Cebu Mactan International Airport at 23.08.

Usually, the flight lasts around four hours, but the aircraft had spent an extra 50 minutes in the air after making two attempts and holding.

The Korean Air crew had already made two approaches, before the one where they had their runway overrun. Both go-arounds happened at relatively low altitudes, with the aircraft descending as low as 275 and 150 feet, very close to the runway threshold. All approaches were to runway 22. 

Before their third (and final) approach, the Korean Air crew entered a hold, likely to wait for the weather to improve. Then about 50 minutes after the first go-around, the crew came in for another approach. Unfortunately, the aircraft appeared to decelerate quite slowly, after touching down. As it reached the end of the runway, the aircraft still had a ground speed of 80 knots. Photos from the scene suggest that the aircraft struck the ILS localizer antenna array for runway 04, after overrunning the end of the runway. The nose landing gear appears to have collapsed.

All passengers and crew evacuated using airstairs. The airport, which has a single runway, had to close after the Korean Air runway overrun.

Below is from the Korean Air website.

Regarding Korean Air Flight KE631 on October 23

I would like to extend my sincere sentiments regarding the Korean Air Flight KE631 incident at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on October 23, 2022.

A thorough investigation will be performed together with the local aviation authorities and Korean authorities to determine the cause(s) of this event.

We always prioritize safety in all of our operations, and we truly regret the stress and inconvenience brought to our passengers.

We remain committed to standing behind our promise of safe operations and will do our very best to institute measures to prevent any recurrence. Our overall goal is for our valued guests to trust that Korean Air will treat them well, and honor us with the opportunity to welcome them once again.

October 24th, 2022

Keehong Woo, President

Korean Air

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Korean Air

Code: KE/KAL

Aircraft: Airbus A330-322

Registration: HL7525
Serial Number: 219

Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PW4168
First Flew: 12/05/1998 

Age: 24 years 6 months