Boeing 737 incident near Gwangju-Si, Kr, December 23, 2015
On December 23, 2015 at about 7:30 am local time, a Boeing 737, registered HL8049, was involved in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Gwangju-Si. No one was hurt; 158 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2015 · about 7:30 am local time
- Place
- Gwangju-Si, South Korea
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 158 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 8AS · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- HL8049 · no longer on the register · serial 36570
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
The government of Republic Of Korea has notified the NTSB of an incident involving a Boeing 737 airplane that occurred on December 23, 2015. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the government of Republic Of Korea's investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacturer and Design of the airplane.All investigative information will be released by the government of Republic Of Korea.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Jeju Air
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 152 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.