Thai Airways plane snaps tail off private jet after collision at Vientiane airport

[webfact]

Thai Airways plane snaps tail off private jet after collision at Vientiane airport

 

Image: JACDEC

 

A Thai Airways Airbus A330 collided with a private jet while taxiing as it prepared to take off at Vientiane's Wattay International Airport in Lao.

 

According to Lao News Agency, the collision occurred when the wing of the Thai Airways plane clipped the tail of the private Gulfstream jet, which was parked at the airport.

 

Images showing extensive damage to the Gulfstream jet were posted on social media.

 

Nobody was injured in the incident which happened at approximately 8.30pm on Monday.

 

On Tuesday, Thai Airways issued a statement confirming the incident. 

 

 

 

Passengers and crew who had been due to fly were put up in a hotel in Vientiane overnight before returning to Bangkok on Tuesday, according to the statement.

 

According to aviation website, Sherpa Report, a Gulfstream private jet can cost between $38m to $43m.  A pre-owned model will typically cost anywhere in the $14m to $35m 

 

The accident couldn’t come at a worse time for Thai Airways, which has suffered financial problems in recent years and is now dealing with a sudden drop in demand due to the coronavirus. 

 

Image: JACDEC

 

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[guzzi850m2]

Ouch that looks expensive.

[Somtamnication]

Made of cardboard?

[Antonymous]

Did the pilot flee the scene?

[simon43]

Pfff!  No problem ????

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by simon43

[Oziex1]

Brake failure.

[smedly]

micro sleep - surfing facebook - brake failure - drunk

 

take your pick, all pretty much Thailand at its best

[JustAnotherHun]

Farang's fault!

 

Fly Thai and the adventure is included:

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/transport/thai-airways-pilot-under-investigation-for-botched-landing-at-frankfurt

[mtls2005]

Plane is registered to Blue Sky Leasing.

 

TG damage...

 

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by mtls2005

[richard_smith237]

Oh no... This is perfect fuel for the ‘all Thai’s cannot drive’ brigade..... 

 

.... Just when you’d like to step in a defend against sweeping generalisations the evidence just keeps mounting up !!!

 

Someone will say, ‘can happen anywhere’ and it probably does, but the evidenced general fvckwittery and general inattention never quite goes away. 

 

Really... how the ‘Eff’ can you manage to hit a parked plane???? well, how the ‘Eff’ can someone drive into a parked vehicle, how the ‘Eff’ can so many things happen??? Einstein once wrote: “only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure of the former” !!!! 

Edited March 11, 2020 by richard_smith237

[mike787]

Not only are we not safe on thai roads but also runways

[ThailandRyan]

But, but, but....it was not my fault.....i was getting a coffee, the plane was on autopilot, the flight attendant was driving, my pet from was on the windscreen, I was blinded by a lazer pointer.....OMG, please....I need my job, I do not want to work in McDonalds........

[damascase]

37 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Farang's fault!

 

Fly Thai and the adventure is included:

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/transport/thai-airways-pilot-under-investigation-for-botched-landing-at-frankfurt

That was a very bad one. With still 7 nautical miles - 12.5 km - to go, the plane was flying at 240 meters above ground.

http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1e782d&opt=0

[fredge45]

Remember the winglet clip those fine Airbus A380 crews did on the plane's show-and-tell tour of SEA... going to claim they were Thai as well?  https://www.presstelegram.com/2007/09/01/airbus-wing-clips-building/

[Assurancetourix]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The accident couldn’t come at a worse time for Thai Airways, which has suffered financial problems in recent years

A trifle, a few million US dollars, in an ocean of losses 

[Aussiepeter]

Am I the only one to see that this plane seems to have once belonged to 'cranky Franky', as the registration number on the engine is M-YWAY ... think about it !

 

[holy cow cm]

Just because the Gulfstream has cones around it does not mean it was satisfactorily parked or that the Lao ground crew backing and guiding the airbus out enough to properly avoid interaction with the Gulfstream. My guess is on the ground crew screwup.

[JimmyTheMook]

--- Whoops

[dcsw53]

It wasn't the pilot's fault, he was working from home on Monday.

 

[drbeach]

Couldn't come at a worse time for THAI or airlines plying the Bangkok-Vientiane route, now that Bangkok Airways has suspended service on the Bangkok-Vientiane route for the time being.

[JAG]

51 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Just because the Gulfstream has cones around it does not mean it was satisfactorily parked or that the Lao ground crew backing and guiding the airbus out enough to properly avoid interaction with the Gulfstream. My guess is on the ground crew screwup.

Yes, but the damage to the Thai aircraft was on the leading edge of the wing - so presumably it was being "driven" out forwards, not backed out.

[quake]

Flaps failure.

[holy cow cm]

14 minutes ago, JAG said:

Yes, but the damage to the Thai aircraft was on the leading edge of the wing - so presumably it was being "driven" out forwards, not backed out.

Referring to backed out not far enough and then the airplanes turns to go taxi. Ofcourse it was moving forward and operated by the pilot. Thing is they don't have rearview or side mirrors and that there is entirely up to the ground crew to help them navigate far enough out.. 

[Tagaa]

Biggest question is how will they repair the Gulfstream. It certainly can not be flown to a maintenance hub and, I am not sure, but I doubt seriously if there are any heavy maintenance facilities at Vientiane.

 

Probably a total loss after factoring in the expense of sending parts, personnel and necessary equipment to the site, add in salvage value (complete fuselage, engines, wings, landing gear, electronics, etc.) and it's a write off.

[Isaanbiker]

It was a brake failure. Or did the pilot fall asleep?

[Tagaa]

Not that it means anything, but the G 4 is registered in the Isle of Man. Most likely the owner will be shown as a shell corporation no one has ever heard of. Maybe not. Actual owner is probably a Russian oligarch.

 

A few clicks more and it is revealed the owner is registered in the Cayman Islands.

 

PLATINUM JETS CO., LTD., 27 Hospital Road George Town Grand Cayman Cayman Islands KY1 9008

 

Another quick search shows that a 34 meter motor yacht, named My Way, owned by Malcolm McLean, was sold in July 2017. Asking price $5,695,000. He was a VP for Husky energy, that has signed a multi billion (billion with a B) dollar oil project contract with Canada. He was sacked January of 2018. He probably moved on to greener pastures, as that's usually how things go in the super rich circle.

 

The Gulfstream ownership was last transferred on 19 Nov, 2018.

 

My Way yacht & Gulfstream M-YWAY connected. Maybe...maybe not.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Tagaa
More info

[dabhand]

5 minutes ago, Tagaa said:

Not that it means anything, but the G 4 is registered in the Isle of Man. Most likely the owner will be shown as a shell corporation no one has ever heard of. Actual owner is probably a Russian oligarch plotting a corruption scheme with a high ranking Laos politician. We'll leave it at that.

Reminds me of the Lewis Hamilton tax avoidance scheme of a few years back. He saved about £3m in VAT by registering the plane in the IOM. He sold it recently as he wants to be seen as following a 'green' lifestyle, but avoiding taxes was OK for him.........

 

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/06/lewis-hamilton-avoided-taxes-jet-isle-of-man-scheme-paradise-papers

[Moonlover]

Wing tip strikes and their consequences is, most probably the most common ground accident aircraft suffer. The reason being that pilots cannot see them. The only guide they have to ensure clearance is by keeping the nose wheel on the taxiway centre line.

 

There is another factor involved called 'wingtip gain' when an aircraft is turning. The tip swings out to form a wider arch. 

[tomster]

3 hours ago, damascase said:

That was a very bad one. With still 7 nautical miles - 12.5 km - to go, the plane was flying at 240 meters above ground.

http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1e782d&opt=0

Jesus Christ - there must have been some seriously powerful amulets on that aeroplane - they should all be dead.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Just because the Gulfstream has cones around it does not mean it was satisfactorily parked or that the Lao ground crew backing and guiding the airbus out enough to properly avoid interaction with the Gulfstream. My guess is on the ground crew screwup.

 

Except the damage was to the leading edge of the left wing.

 

The incident occurred while taxiing, not on push-back. 

 

Its the Pilots responsibility at all times. Ground crew could have screwed up and not pushed the plane back far enough, but isn’t this one of the reasons why a ‘walk around’ is required? 

Edited March 11, 2020 by richard_smith237