Flight OG269: At Least 88 Bodies Found At Phuket Airport Crash Site

[jonmlb]

i was driving from krabi and arrived surin bridge approx 3pm and hit most horrendous storm,somewhere after airport exit and i mean cars reduced to walking pace on main road it was so bad.would have thought difficult for any pilot to land in that.

[keemapoot]

I was thinking the same thing. They should have been there within a minute. Maybe they could have contained the fire at least long enough for a few more people to escape.

... Also to be noted that there are as yet no emergency vehicles at the scene of the incident.

Good point. The a/c has clearly been on the ground for a time, so where in God's name are the fire appliances? HKT is an international airport with permanent, immediate fire cover on standby during operating hours.

I agree that this is a very obvious shortcoming at the Phuket airport in this case. Where are the emergency fire trucks? Absolutely no sign of them. Most probably would have saved numerous lives.

[george]

Air traffic officer sent to see psychiatrist

PHUKET: -- A senior male air traffic officer at the Control Tower of the Phuket International Airport has been sent to meet a psychiatrist at the Bhumibhol Aeronautical Medical Hospital to be tested whether he is mentally fit to continue his duty following Sunday's plane crash.

Kamthorn Sirikorn, deputy director of the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Lt, said an initial probe did not find that the officer had committed any mistake and he was not suspended from duty.

He said the officer was simply sent to receive a mental rehabilitation because he interacted with the pilot of the doomed flight from the beginning until the crash.

-- The Nation 2007-09-18

[rainman]

Good point. The a/c has clearly been on the ground for a time, so where in God's name are the fire appliances? HKT is an international airport with permanent, immediate fire cover on standby during operating hours.

Watching soap operas?

The disturbing thing is that if the person that shot the video was on the ground already for a few minutes and in the video, the airplane doesn't seem to be burning yet (except for smoke from the cockpit) and quite intact except for the rear wing broken, couldn't many lives have been saved if the firemen and rescue crews would have been there faster? Perhaps if they would have immediately started blowing water, the airplane would have never went up in flames.

Edited September 18, 2007 by rainman

[george]

Update:

53 of 89 bodies of plane crash victims identified

PHUKET: -- Police forensic officials have so far identified 53 of 89 bodies of the One-Two-Go plane crash, a senior police officer said Tuesday.

Pol Maj Gen Santhan Chayanont, deputy commissioner o Provincial Police Bureau 8, said all 32 Thai bodies have been identified and 21 out 57 foreigners have been identified.

He said relatives of the Thai victims had been authorized to reclaim the bodies.

He said police forensic experts were still waiting for relatives of the 36 other foreigners to provide dental records, hair or fingerprints of their relatives to prove their identity.

-- The Nation 2007-09-18

[rainman]

And you know what's even more disturbing? The guy in the video running across the runway after the airplane crashed. What if another airplane had landed right behind?

[Carmine6]

video by passenger just after he escaped the plane

wait for the advert to finish , 14 seconds.

Another sad thing is this video is not that long afterwards and look how much visibility there is. Strong wind and rain but doesn't appear to be big gusts. Doesn't guarantee it's clear at higher elevations but I can't help but think they missed better landing conditions by a matter of minutes.

The video shows that only a few minutes, perhaps three or four minutes after the crash the weather was fairly mild. But many of us have experienced those very brief yet intense rain showers in Thailand when the wind swirls around violently at the initial onset of the squall. Also to be noted that there are as yet no emergency vehicles at the scene of the incident.

That's what I mean. Simon43 reported there might have been a "squall" around that time. My last taxi ride to the Phuket airport it got so windy and rainy I was going to tell the guy to stop for a bit, then in 5 minutes it was clearer and in 10 minutes we were in sunshine. I'm not sure anything could have been done if they were caught in something so sudden.

Good observation on the emergency vehicles. Wonder what the expected response time is when an emergency landing hasn't been declared.

[cdnvic]

And you know what's even more disturbing? The guy in the video running across the runway after the airplane crashed. What if another airplane had landed right behind?

Pretty certain that the crash was the end of flights into Phuket.

[threelegcowboy]

I have been a pasenger many times on planes that have landed in storms. I can just picture the plane comming in on instruments maybe a little bump here and there. Set for a perfect landing and then a burst of downward wind (wind shear) caused by a sudden downpour. 100 meters can be the difference between no wind(or upward) to a strong downward wind. This could have the effect of slamming the plane to the ground so hard that it damages or breaks the wings off (as noted earlier fire comming from wing after first bounce). After this damage I am sure the pilot has little control of what happens. There is equipment that can detect this wind shear and who knows if the equipment is available in this case. Also maybe the winds could have come up so sudden as the equipment only detects current situation. The video of the passengers getting out of the plane while no wind or rain was present does not mean that wind did not bring down the plane. Just a few yards can make the difference with wind shear. From the reports the plane used alot of the runway before skidding off and that sudden stop.

RIP

[Mid]

Family mourns Thai plane crash pilot

September 18, 2007

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Pilot Arif Mulyadi once told his son that of all the places he had flown, Phuket had the worst weather. But it also had the most beautiful scenery from above.

The retired lieutenant colonel was among the 88 people who died Sunday in a plane crash on the Thai resort island of Phuket. The crash occurred as the One-Two-Go passenger plane was attempting to land in heavy rain.

"Father promised to come home to see his grandsons Sept. 28," Arif's oldest son, Agung, told news portal detik.com on Monday.

He is returning home 10 days early, but not for the joyous family reunion that had been anticipated.

snip

thejakartapost.com

[cdnvic]

I have been a pasenger many times on planes that have landed in storms. I can just picture the plane comming in on instruments maybe a little bump here and there. Set for a perfect landing and then a burst of downward wind (wind shear) caused by a sudden downpour. 100 meters can be the difference between no wind(or upward) to a strong downward wind. This could have the effect of slamming the plane to the ground so hard that it damages or breaks the wings off (as noted earlier fire comming from wing after first bounce). After this damage I am sure the pilot has little control of what happens. There is equipment that can detect this wind shear and who knows if the equipment is available in this case. Also maybe the winds could have come up so sudden as the equipment only detects current situation. The video of the passengers getting out of the plane while no wind or rain was present does not mean that wind did not bring down the plane. Just a few yards can make the difference with wind shear. From the reports the plane used alot of the runway before skidding off and that sudden stop.

RIP

Windshear is caused by thunderstorm downdrafts not rain, but you're right about the difference between the moment of impact and when the film was shot. Weather can change very fast around Phuket. Especially at this time of year.

[Mid]

What is wind shear?

Wind shear is a sudden change in either wind speed or direction within a short distance, causing a sudden gain or loss of lift for aircraft.

It is generally associated with frontal weather systems, particularly thunderstorms, and can also be affected by the topography of the area.

It can easily destabilise an aircraft and is one of the most challenging conditions a pilot can face.

Wind sheer poses the greatest risk to an aircraft during take off or landing when it is flying just above stall speed.

A particularly dangerous form is vertical wind shear (also known as a microburst), where wind suddenly reverses from blowing slightly upwards under the aircraft to a downward direction, creating a downward force on the aircraft.

english.aljazeera.net

[TAWP]

Perhaps a better link to the video (from the original source): http://svt.se/content/1/c6/91/25/08/NYH_TH...DKRASCHNY_1.asx

So we can see that atleast 3 minutes past touchdown there is NO sign of any rescue trucks. That is NOT a good thing. And they had recently done a 'successful' exercise.

[threelegcowboy]

Well my long winded rant has been corrected and thanks. You can bet I will update my wind shear debating skills.

[cdnvic]

Well my long winded rant has been corrected and thanks. You can bet I will update my wind shear debating skills.

Wiki actually has a pretty detailed explanation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windshear

Does anyone know if it was an actual thunderstorm, or was it just raining?

[Crash999]

From the video it looks like the crash site is around here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=8.1...p;z=18&om=1

Video mirror-

Edit- although there is fairly strong wind in the video it doesn't appear to be raining hard. That said, however, the guys in the video are soaked which suggests it was raining heavily a few moments before.

Edited September 18, 2007 by Crash999

[sibeymai]

a few comments.....

CDNVIC: there was a report from an eyewitness who observed the crash from a plane which was said to have landed after the MD-82. I would have thought all flights would have been diverted immediately.

Regarding IFR, VFR etc, on final approach it doesn't matter which flight rules are being used, or perhaps none at all. The aircraft must be flown within the defined glide slope parameters. This requires the pilot in command to fly the plane (focus external) and the other pilot to observe the cockpit instruments and aircraft performence (focus internal).

Therefore the pilot flying the plane would have been fully visually aware of the external weather conditions throughout the final approach.

A clear case of pilot error for choosing to land in unsafe weather conditions.....ie. conditions which, if they were to deteriorate, could exceed the aircraft's specification and the pilot not allowing enough margin to inititiate a "go-around" successfully before those specifications were exceeded.

As stated elsewhere in this thread, the pilot took a chance, gambled and lost.

Edited September 18, 2007 by sibeymai

[madjbs]

How can you be so sure its a clear case of anything? Have you listened to the black box voice recordings? Have you analysed all the technical flight data on there? Plotted the flight path? Inspected the wreckage?

No, didn’t think so.

[Old Man River]

I asked this early on in this thread, but now with 21 pages, I am not going to read them all.

Does anyone know if Phuket airport has Doppler radar? It shows directions and speeds of winds and is most useful during storms. After some tragic crashes in the US 15-20 years ago, most airports now use it. Still, I would imagine there are still some smaller airports which haven't upgraded their radar equipment. Is Phuket one of these?

Phuket doesn't have equipment to detect windshear according to CNN.

Thanks. The link below contains info on the airline crash I had in mind when asking about Phuket's Dopplar capabilities. It was after this tragic crash that DFW put in Dopplar radar so that its control tower could avoid this in the future. For those in the US, these days you will be used to The Weather Channel constantly referring to Dopplar radar to show wind conditions in storms.

For those interested in Dopplar radar, you can google it and find out more about it than you would ever want to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_191

[donna]

not sure if anyone else has posted this link:

http://www.phuketgazette.com/news/index.as...yes&Id=5949

PHUKET: The emergency response drill at Phuket International Airport (PIA) on Thursday was a “success”, PIA Director Sq Ldr Pornchai Eua-aree told a press conference after the event.

The drill started at 10 am with PIA air traffic control guiding a Thai Airways International Airbus A300-600 simulating engine trouble in to land.

Once safely stopped on the tarmac, the aircraft was quickly doused by fire trucks and firemen on the ground in high-heat-resistant firefighting suits.

Fake red smoke bellowed from the aircraft’s engine and a simulated explosion boomed across the airport.

SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLE ONLINE ON THE ABOVE LINK...

[george]

British backpacker hailed as hero of Sunday's air crash

A British backpacker was hailed a hero of the Thailand air crash after dragging a pal from the blazing wreckage — then going back in to save other passengers, London-based the Sun online reported.

Peter Hill, 35, was in seat 24a, next to an emergency exit, when the holiday jet slewed off the runway at Phuket airport and burst into flames, killing 88 people on Saturday.

He was alongside fellow UK traveller Ashley Scott Harrow and managed to haul him clear. Ashley, 27, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland, escaped with cuts and burns.

Then Peter forced his way back through acrid, black smoke and rescued two Israelis — Vladimir Freylikham, 28, and his wife Isabella, 29.

Peter, from Manchester, and Ashley were two of at least five people from the UK among 42 people who survived when the One-Two-GO budget airline jet from Bangkok to Phuket crashed in a monsoon.

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram visited Peter on Monday in hospital, where he was being treated for burns and a head injury.

Nitya Pibulsonghram gave him flowers and fruit and said: "He is a hero. He pulled people out at his own risk. He is now doing pretty well, sitting up and smiling."

Peter was still too ill to speak at length about his ordeal.

He said: "I can't really remember. I might have got it open a crack (the emergency exit) but it was Scott (Ashley Scott) who smashed it open."

The other injured Brits were Bethan Jones, 22 — who had 90 per cent burns — Christopher Cooley and Benjamin Green, who is thought to have suffered only superficial wounds.

Alex Collins, 22, of Maesteg, South Wales — boyfriend of Bethan, from Porth, Rhondda — was believed dead.

The Sun quoted UK Ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle as saying, "We fear there are several British dead but we can't confirm the number and it may be some time before we can give a figure."

--The Nation 2007-09-18

[Mid]

A clear case of pilot error for choosing to land in unsafe weather conditions.....ie. conditions which, if they were to deteriorate, could exceed the aircraft's specification and the pilot not allowing enough margin to inititiate a "go-around" successfully before those specifications were exceeded.

why was the airport open ????????????????????

[sibeymai]

very good question. I guess the bad weather was only transient, not like where an airport can be closed due to fog or ice/snow or gale.

If only the pilot had been a sailor....."if in doubt, go about", preferably before you get shipwrecked.

Edited September 18, 2007 by sibeymai

[cdnvic]

British backpacker hailed as hero of Sunday's air crash

A British backpacker was hailed a hero of the Thailand air crash after dragging a pal from the blazing wreckage — then going back in to save other passengers

Well we don't yet know what caused the crash, or who's fault it is, but we can at least agree that what this guy did was heroic. Good on him

[Who, me ?]

British backpacker hailed as hero of Sunday's air crash

A British backpacker was hailed a hero of the Thailand air crash after dragging a pal from the blazing wreckage — then going back in to save other passengers

Well we don't yet know what caused the crash, or who's fault it is, but we can at least agree that what this guy did was heroic. Good on him

Can I book the guy to sit next to me for my next trip ? ;-)

Well done, and hope life will treat him well for what he's done..........

[Jingjok]

... A clear case of pilot error for choosing to land in unsafe weather conditions.....ie. conditions which, if they were to deteriorate, could exceed the aircraft's specification and the pilot not allowing enough margin to inititiate a "go-around" successfully before those specifications were exceeded...

There's NO way you can know that and it is quite inappropriate to post such a thing. I've been rapped for speculating but this is too much.

...So we can see that atleast 3 minutes past touchdown there is NO sign of any rescue trucks. That is NOT a good thing...

Not a 'good thing'? It's an absolute bloody disgrace. Heads should roll. I know 'This is Thailand' but there are limits.

[TAWP]

From the video it looks like the crash site is around here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=8.1...p;z=18&om=1

Video mirror-

Edit- although there is fairly strong wind in the video it doesn't appear to be raining hard. That said, however, the guys in the video are soaked which suggests it was raining heavily a few moments before.

Notice their animated re-enactment of the flightpath prior to the crash. It looks like a dangerous turn to the right towards the mountain was done. Could be wind and non-controlled, but it was done anyway. Hopefully a fully factual animation from the flightstats of the black box will be released later.

[donna]

but the emergency services at phuket international recently had a 'successful' drill .....

[TAWP]

...So we can see that atleast 3 minutes past touchdown there is NO sign of any rescue trucks. That is NOT a good thing...

Not a 'good thing'? It's an absolute bloody disgrace. Heads should roll. I know 'This is Thailand' but there are limits.

I was being diplomatic. But I agree. On both counts.

[MrOzark]

I would be interested to hear if anyone knows the response time required or considered

average/acceptable for a crash response on the tarmac.

Three minutes is a long time to be stuck in a burning plane, but perhaps it takes that

long to get everyone on the vehicle and reach the scene.

I wouldn't imagine the phrase 'thai time' would apply in this case.

I think we can safely guess the rescuers got there as fast as they could.