Pilot killed, 40 injured - Koh Samui Air Crash

[Snick]

BANGKOK, Tues: A Bangkok Airways pilot was killed when his plane skidded off the runway at the popular Koh Samui Island airport.

Thai aviation authorities confirmed that flight PG266 pilot Chartchai Pansuwan died while 40 others were injured, including 23 seriously, in the incident about 2.30pm.

The twin engine propeller driven ATR 72-500 plane from Krabi, with 68 passengers and four crew, was landing during heavy rain when it skidded off the runway and crashed into an old control tower.

"We suspect it was due to cross winds," a Bangkok Airways official said when contacted. The identities of the passengers have not been released.

Koh Samui is popular with western tourists and the airport itself was developed and managed by Bangkok Airways, Thailand's largest private airline.


In September, 2007, more than 90 people died when a One-Two-Go airline skidded off the runway at the Phuket International Airport due to cross winds. -- BERNAMA

[SamplerDoc]

Same story about the plane but which source is right?......


BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A Bangkok Airways plane crashed at an airport at a resort island in Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring 37 people Tuesday, aviation officials said.

The plane carrying 68 people and four crew members skidded and then crashed after landing at Koh Samui airport, officials with the civil aviation department said.

The ATR-72 turboprop had taken off from the town of Krabi on the west coast Thailand for its trip to the resort island of Koh Samui.

Air traffic control warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed, aviation officials said.

Seven people were seriously injured and emergency officials were working to free the plane's co-pilot who was trapped in the plane, officials said.

[Grinder]

Chaps - this is the official version as announced by Bangkok Airways in a press release to all media outlets (including me) just five minutes ago:

Bangkok Airways holds press conference over Samui accident

Bangkok Airways€™ Head Office/ August 4th, 2009 €“ At 17.00 hrs, Captain Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, the President of Bangkok Airways, held a press conference about the accident of the airline€™s flight PG 266 from Krabi after touchdown veered off the runway and collided with the former control tower during the flight€™s captain attempted to land at Samui Airport.

The flight, operated by ATR-72 500 series MSN670 with 70 seats, carried 68 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. All passengers have been evacuated from the site with four seriously injured passengers sent to the Bangkok Samui Hospital, and two others with minor injuries delivered to the Thai Inter Hospital. The 62 other passengers have been transferred to hotel. Two flight attendants and a pilot were reportedly safe, while the other pilot was decease.

Currently, the airline has dispatched the investigation team from the Department of Aviation to the accident site at Samui Airport.

The airline€™s insurance company - Bangkok Insurance, will cover full liability caused by this accident.

[marshal]

A lot of different reports on the net, which one is true?

[daveduke007]

Reminds me of my experience in May with a Bangkok Air Flight from Phuket to U-Tapao    

Post from my TR "007 on a mission"

"The landing at U-Tapao Airport was something else too.

As the little prop ATR 72 plane touched down it was all over the place, swerving from one side of the Runway to the other, right wheels and then left lifting up.  
I thought it was going to spin round and me and all the passengers were going to be "gonnas" and Im sure they did too
Thankfully the Pilot managed to control it and we arrived safely at the Terminal  

I asked a fellow passenger (an American guy) while we were waiting to collect our baggage whether or not if I had just "imagined" that Landing.

He confirmed my fears and he actually thought the Plane was going to "Tip over" at one point.  

Well Im grateful to have survived in one piece and my taxi driver from Mr T's taxis is waiting to take me the the LK Pavillion where I will be met by my great buddy BigTel who is also staying there and look ahead to what will hopefully be a great week in Pattaya"

"Fookin Scary" I can assure you  

Just made my mind up about Flying BKK-PHUKET-U-TAPAO with Bangkok Air in December.    
Will defo do a return BKK-PHUKET with Thai Airways Biz Class and get a Taxi down to Pattaya instead  

[Master Bator]

I had a similar experience as you Dave when I came back from Phuket to Utapao endof May.
The ATR is based on the old Fokker F28 (Friendship) which was considered to be one of the safest and most reliable planes ever made. I've flown in these ATR's and F 28's many a time and never experienced a landing like that even in bad weather. The pilot was just coming in way too fast - absolutely unneccesary as it has one of the lowest landing speeds and could land on a short stretch of road if needed.
Coming in too fast  might (or must) have been the case here as well -perhaps even the same pilot....

PS just read this statement on Thaivisa.com

The cause of the accident could be concluded after the investigation team receives the data from black box and combines with other evidence, including blood test results from the pilots, which could take several weeks, the director-general said.

She added that the initial information showed that there was no heavy rain while the plane landing as earlier report but it was windy afternoon.

The aircraft was just landing normally and running for 300 metres before turning to hit the building, she said, adding that the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control was ordinary procedure.

Winds would always be head or tail and would not have such an effect.

I still think he had to slam the brakes as the runway is rather short.

[Ivor Biggun]

(marshal @ Aug. 05 2009,07:02) A lot of different reports on the net, which one is true?

The one on Thavisa of course 5555555555. Those armchair pilots will be having a field day abou t this 'killing tourism' in Samui. Shit happens unfortunately, at least (no comfort to the family though) there was only one death. There was an appeal for blood in the Phuket Gazette but I'm a bit sceptical about it as its strange that most of them , according to the article, required a raare blood type. http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7627.  Call me a cynic but the hospital may have been trying to take advantage of the situation- I hope I'm proved wrong.

Here's the latest from the Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/loca...sh-kills-pilot

[Grinder]

I'm giving you the actual news releases from the airline itself - horse's mouth and all that...

This from earlier today:

Bangkok Airways€™ President heads to Samui

Bangkok / 5 August 2009; 10:00 hrs €“ Captain Puttipong Prasattong-Osoth, the President of Bangkok Airways, is scheduled to be in Samui today for an on-site inspection as well as to visit the remaining 8 passengers with injuries at the Bangkok Samui Hospital. Passengers with minor injuries have all returned to hotel, and those who have not been injured are taken care of at a designated hotel under a close look of psychiatrists.

Upon his visit, he released a statement of sympathy: €œOn behalf of Bangkok Airways, I would like to, again, express my sympathy towards our passengers and crews who have been affected from the unfortunate accident of PG 266 in Samui, particularly my deepest condolence to the family of Captain Chatchai Punsuvan, who lost his life in this accident. While the investigation of this accident remains underway, Bangkok Airways€™ management reassures that we continue to take safety as priority in all aspects of our operations,€ said Captain Puttipong, €œWe are conforming to our Crisis Management standard in order to regain our status in normalcy the fastest possible,€ added Captain Puttipong.

The latest update: Bangkok Airways had extra flights on standby the whole night at Suratthani Airport with necessary transfers arranged for all stranded passengers between Suratthani Airport (alternate airport) and Samui on both ferry and airlift mobilization by helicopters from Bangkok Hospital and the National Police Bureau, due to the temporary closure of Samui Airport since yesterday. Meanwhile, Samui Airport is expected to reopen at around 13.00 hrs this afternoon.

[Ivor Biggun]

Airport open again now- latest from the Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news....eration

[bigmick22]

I flew on an ATR today and I fly with Bangkok airways on Sunday

Death wish?

[azza33]

I've done the PHUKET-U-TAPAO flight and had no issues landing.


I'm no expert - but wind can cause havoc upon landing. I've seen small planes flipped upside down at landing due to wind shears.    Make anyone feel safe - Enjoy your next flight  

Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere.


Wind shear itself is a microscale meteorological phenomenon occurring over a very small distance, but it can be associated with mesoscale or synoptic scale weather features such as squall lines and cold fronts. It is commonly observed near microbursts and downbursts caused by thunderstorms, weather fronts, areas of locally higher low level winds referred to as low level jets, near mountains, radiation inversions that occur due to clear skies and calm winds, buildings, wind turbines, and sailboats. Wind shear has a significant effect during take-off and landing of aircraft due to their effects on control of the aircraft, and was a significant cause of aircraft accidents involving large loss of life within the United States.

Wind shear is a sudden change in the wind's speed or direction. Wind shear often involves strong side-by-side updrafts and downdrafts and may occur in conjunction with a thunderstorm or other bad weather. It can have potentially disastrous consequences for a jetliner if encountered near the ground. Appearing with little or no warning, low-level wind shear can overwhelm an airplane's ability to safely descend or climb. Wind shear was the seventh most common cause of fatal jet accidents worldwide during the past 10 years.

[azza33]

the most awesome near crash you will ever see!