BREAKING NEWS Police Aircraft Crashes Into Sea Off Cha-am, Leaving Four Dead

[BKKBike09]

53 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

I'm the last clip, just before vertical impact the RH engine appears to be turning? Definitely not feathered ?

Low altitude, no time to do anything really.

Horizontal stabilizer "appears" to be in full, nose up position?

Desperate final actions?

 

A good accident investigation team will piece it together quickly, given the wreckage and photos/videos.

 

Both props do seem to be turning; I don't know if the RTP Twin Otters have auto-feather but I guess not. Left engine is the critical engine in a Twin Otter but the RH rotation suggests stall and yaw to the right. But all just speculation. Poor buggers.

 

Don't hold your breath for 'a good accident investigation'. 

 

[riverhigh]

RIP. Further investigation required for mechaniclal malfunctions and autopsies for drugs and alcohol. A few years back, police officers killed themselves trying to drive themselves out of the Pattaya police parking lot on beach road.

[ChrisY1]

2 hours ago, chilli42 said:

I am not a pilot so no judgement here. I thought these small propeller driven planes had a large amount of glide factor. Such that they could at least make a horizontal landing. This plane is going down at 90 degrees. Now I will have to find some other myth to console myself when flying in small aircraft.

Twin Otters are generally the work horses of mountainous regions.....they do glide...depending on altitude of course

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, JoePai said:

Could not pull out of the spin ?

How prescient!

[parallelman]

My condolences. Hope the survivor recovers quickly and may be able to answer the key questions.

[ChrisY1]

Just took off from Hua Hin...no time for gaining altitude I think....

[JoePai]

32 minutes ago, Surasak said:

How prescient!

Well that's what it looks like but the question is why not - the engines seem to sound ok so should have been able to pull out of it so something else stopped that?

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE

Full Investigation Ordered into Incident

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

The National Police Chief has ordered a full investigation into the fatal crash of a police aircraft off the coast of Hua Hin, which claimed the lives of five police officers and left one more in critical condition. Early reports indicate the aircraft veered sharply to the right before plunging into the sea.

 

The incident occurred near Bo Fai Airport in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, during a routine flight on the morning of 25 April. The aircraft, operated by the Royal Thai Police Aviation Division, had successfully passed all ground checks and showed no signs of malfunction before take-off.

 

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Phanpet, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, visited the crash site personally and confirmed that the aircraft appeared to lift off normally but travelled only a short distance, about 100 metres from the shoreline, before it suddenly banked to the right and crashed into the sea.

 

“The ground checks showed no irregularities. However, shortly after take-off, the aircraft tilted unnaturally before falling into the sea. A formal aviation investigation is underway to determine the exact cause,” Gen. Kittirat said. He added that the inquiry, being handled by the police aviation unit, is expected to take around 15 days.

 

Although the exact reason for the crash is still unknown, early evidence suggests a critical issue may have developed during the take-off phase. Gen. Kittirat assured that standard legal autopsies would be conducted, but stressed that the cause of death in each case was already apparent due to the nature of the crash.

 

The police chief also stated that the Royal Thai Police will closely coordinate with the families of the victims throughout the investigation process. The force will host religious rites on behalf of the deceased for one to two nights.

 

“All five officers are considered to have died in the line of duty, as they were operating under official orders to test the aircraft. They will receive full benefits and honours according to official policy,” Gen. Kittirat confirmed.

 

The crash has cast a sombre shadow over the police aviation division, and the Royal Thai Police have pledged transparency and diligence in uncovering the cause of the incident.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-04-25.

 

 

 

[impulse]

Sad story, all around.  My condolences to the ones they left behind.

 

Last week, I had lunch with a Canuk buddy in BKK and we talked about tariffs and other things.  Walking away, I realized I forgot to ask him whether DeHavilland is still making planes because I have very fond memories of flying (as a passenger) in Twin Otters in Alaska.  Looks like they're still making several models, the Twin Otter being one of them.

 

 

 

[connda]

That puppy stalled big time.

[Mike_Hunt]

Engine failure then a stall? 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
Pilot Dies After Police Aircraft Crash Near Hua Hin

 

Royal Thai Police pilot, Police Lieutenant Colonel Chaturong Watthanapraisarn, has succumbed to his injuries following the  aircraft crash earlier today. The police aircraft crashed into the sea near Bo Fai Airport in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

 

Doctors confirmed that the pilot had suffered multiple severe injuries, including fractures to the right foot, ankle, shin and arm, along with internal trauma. He remained unconscious and required urgent surgical intervention to control internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity.

 

Despite doctors’ best efforts, Chaturong passed away at 15:58 while undergoing emergency surgery. This brings the total number of fatalities in the incident to six.

 

The Royal Thai Police had earlier called for blood donations of type O in an attempt to stabilise the officer’s condition. National Police Chief General Torsak Sukwimon had also confirmed that Chaturong was an experienced pilot.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-04-25.

 

 

 

 

 

[NORDO]

Many PIC hours in the Tw-otter.  Alaska, Canada, Africa, Patrolling South Pacific.  This has to be a control issue to spin in at that angle or a load shift leading to dynamic wing  stall.   I flown the Tw-otter empty point to point with one engine caged and prop feathered.   One of the safest aircraft ever built.

[Randy99]

They need to look at elevator control cables which have been a problem on the Twin Otter in the past.  Aircraft Maint. Engineer, 40 years experience and endorsed on the Twin Otter

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, Baba Naba said:

Hmmm... Why in the water? They could not attempt a beach landing?

100m to the airstrip only

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
Police Aircraft Crash: Wreckage Pulled Ashore

 

Picture courtesy of Khoasod.

 

Authorities have successfully hauled ashore the wreckage of a police aircraft that crashed into the sea approximately 150 metres from the coast near the border between Cha-am district in Phetchaburi province and Hua Hin Airport in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

 

Rescue and recovery operations were carried out under increasing pressure as the tide began to rise during the afternoon. At around 16:00 recovery teams began towing the fuselage to the shoreline using heavy-duty winch equipment. A 30-tonne crane was used in conjunction with high-tension slings to carefully drag the aircraft across the shallow surf, with a secondary six-wheel support vehicle deployed to prevent the tow truck from slipping on the wet sand.

 

A 50-tonne trailer was also positioned nearby in preparation for moving the aircraft to a secure location for further forensic investigation and evidence collection.

Earlier, officials had retrieved smaller debris and components that had broken off during the crash and were floating in the water. Patrol vessel 527 and Marine Police officers were on site to secure the area during the delicate operation.

 

Officials warned that it is still unclear how long it will take to safely lift the wreckage onto a trailer and transport it for examination.

 

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-04-25.

 

 

 

[Nid_Noi]

2 hours ago, NORDO said:

Many PIC hours in the Tw-otter.  Alaska, Canada, Africa, Patrolling South Pacific.  This has to be a control issue to spin in at that angle or a load shift leading to dynamic wing  stall.   I flown the Tw-otter empty point to point with one engine caged and prop feathered.   One of the safest aircraft ever built.

Frequent flyer in the Twin Otter and pic hours in single turboprop (Beaver, Turbo-Porter and Husky). Agree with you.
With only 6 souls on board the load would have been easily handled with one single operating engine as long as CG was within limits.

The 3 aircrafts operated by the RTP were fairly new (2017-2018) and have been ferried from California to Thailand in 2020 with no technical problems ( unless Thai mechanics have not followed the proper maintenance schedule after delivery).

I doubt the PT6A-27 engine failed unless done by pilot’s error (fuel starvation or propeller accidental reversion).

Another option is improper trim settings especially the elevator trim tab which is crucial. 
Strangely very similar accident as the Air Moorea DHC-6 in August 2007 “loss of pitch control after an elevator cable snapped” at 300ft.

 

[Captain Flack]

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