The 2002 crash of Air China Flight 129 into Mount Dotdae killed 129 people, making it South Korea's deadliest aviation accident until 2024.
Key Facts
- Date
- 15 April 2002
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 767
- People on board
- 166 persons
- Fatalities
- 129 persons
- Crash site
- Mount Dotdae, near Gimhae Airport
- Final report published
- March 2005
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The crew inadvertently flew below the minimum safe altitude while conducting a circling approach to Gimhae Airport's runway 18R, an approach they had never practised in simulation. Contributing factors included inadequate pilot training for that specific airport and tower controllers failing to use BRITE and MSAW systems after losing visual contact with the aircraft.
On 15 April 2002, Air China Flight 129, a Boeing 767 flying from Beijing Capital International Airport to Gimhae International Airport in Busan, struck Mount Dotdae during its approach. Of the 166 people on board, 129 were killed. The Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board later attributed the crash primarily to pilot error.
The accident prompted South Korea to accelerate plans for a new airport in the southeastern region. It remained the deadliest aviation accident in South Korean history until the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in December 2024. The Civil Aviation Administration of China also raised concerns about the qualifications of the air traffic controller on duty at the time.