Dozens killed in plane crash in South Korea, two crew members found alive

(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - 179 people were killed in a plane crash in South Korea. It's the country's deadliest aviation disaster in more than two decades, and the nation's leaders have now declared a state of mourning.

A horrific tragedy in South Korea after a plane erupted into flames killing almost everyone on board.

Officials say the aircraft skidded down a runway at Muan International Airport on its belly before bursting into flames. 181 people were on board. Only two survived; both were crew members who were rescued in the debris by the plane's tail.

The Jeju Air plane was a Boeing 737-800, according to FlightAware, and was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand Sunday.

One safety analyst, David Soucie, says this model plane is one of the most commonly used.

"A typical model of this aircraft flies four or five flights a day, and there are thousands of these airplanes out in the industry. So, this is one of the safest airplanes record wise, percentage wise," Soucie explained.

It's unclear exactly what went wrong. Officials say the pilot made a mayday call shortly after the control tower warned about birds in the area.

Soucie explains the dangers birds pose to airplanes: "After you hit a flock of birds and have an engine out, you might have other things going on and that creates a lot of chaos in that cockpit as far as how the aircraft is going to land."

Some local fire officials say the flight's landing gear could have malfunctioned.