Video footage captured the final moments of a South Korean plane as it veered off the runway, colliding with a concrete barrier and igniting in a fiery explosion at an airport.

The Sunday crash resulted in 179 fatalities; only two crew members survived.

Broadcast footage revealed the aircraft skidding, apparently without its landing gear deployed, before impacting the barrier and erupting in flames. Images showed substantial smoke plumes rising from the burning wreckage.

The aircraft, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, was arriving from Bangkok. The incident occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time near Muan.

Kyle Bailey, a former FAA safety representative, speculated that excessive speed during the skid, prior to hitting what he believed was instrument landing equipment, likely caused the disaster.

“I think that’s pretty much what spelled disaster for that airplane,” he stated.

Investigators have recovered the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders (black boxes) for analysis by government experts, according to Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan.

While a conclusive cause may take months, Muan fire station chief Lee Jeong-hyeon indicated that various factors are under investigation, including a potential bird strike.

Transport Ministry officials confirmed that the airport control tower warned the plane of a possible bird strike shortly before landing and granted the pilot permission to land in an alternate area.

The fire chief reported in a televised briefing that only the tail section remained identifiable amidst the extensive destruction.

‘ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Chris Pandolfo and