Bangkok Airways Crash in Koh Samui

[geovalin]

A propeller plane ATR72 of Bangkok Airways veered off the runway shortly after touch down during heavy southwestern cross winds and heavy rain. It crossed a patch of grass and smashed with it's nose into the building of the airport fire fighters. Within seconds the fire fighters were laying a foam carpet over the plane, so there was no fire braking out.

I saw it happen from our terrace at about 14.13. After a few minutes the first emergency cars of the airport and a little bit later some ambulances from various hospitals arrived on the scene. I am sure there are quite many injuries since the plane was still quite fast when it hit the building.

Carlos

Bravo Carlos

[Chua]

Too early to specululate, but does anyone know if Samui Airport runway lacks flood grooves (to allow excess water to drain away), just like Phuket Airport lacks flood grooves?

Simon

It does have these. The runway was just recently resurfaced and expanded. Samui Airport is a sophisticated, modern international airport with over 20 flights per day serving Hong Kong, Singapore, KL (Malaysia), as well as many domestic destinations. The apparent cause of the crash according to multiple eye-witness reports was a freak (sudden and without warning) wind gust (sheer) during a brief, yet strong rainstorm. These are very unusual for Samui, since unlike Phuket where there was a similar incident a while back, Samui is on the other side of the Southern Thai Peninsula from the Andaman, so the monsoons do not reach as far as Samui.

Of course, there may also have been aircraft mechanical failure or pilot error as well; but we'll have to wait to see what the investigation turns up.

[Devil]

That this flight got landing permission is out of my understanding.

The weather conditions have been terrible, heavy gusts and heavy rainfalls.. at this time...

and the airport is known for bad low-level wind shear...

sounds like Phuket accident all over again. But when you own the airline and the airport guess it's an easier call no?

Yes very similar from the info provided so far. I fly to Samui often from Phuket, both Airports are so close to the ocean you always feel the turbulence on take of and landing.

[keyjor]

So sorry to hear this.

Condolences and I hope all the injured recover soon.

[koheesti]

There would have been no survivors if it has skid off the northern end of the runway. Has anyone seen it lately? Massive holes and piles of dirt like some sort of construction area. Any plane would be in serious trouble if it hit that.

[Samuian]

That this flight got landing permission is out of my understanding.

The weather conditions have been terrible, heavy gusts and heavy rainfalls.. at this time...

and the airport is known for bad low-level wind shear...

sounds like Phuket accident all over again. But when you own the airline and the airport guess it's an easier call no?

Yep, looks like it...the first and last accident here, ended much,

much worse than that one!

The weather conditions at this time were just horrific,

very strong gust's, heavy tropical rains!

As things are, that these storms, come as quick as they go,

30 minutes later it is usually as never anything happend..

and Suratthani isthe next Airport maybe 50-100 km away...

Condolences for the pilots family!

[churchill]

Thai jet skids off runway on holiday island of Koh Samui

A Bangkok Airways plane skidded off the runway as it landed on Thailand's tourist island of Koh Samui, injuring passengers.

The airliner had arrived on the island, which is off the east coast of Thailand and is popular with European tourists, after setting off from the mainland town of Krabi on the west coast, which is another popular destination.

"I can confirm that there was just an incident with our aircraft from Krabi to Samui that landed and skidded off the runway," said Nandhika Varavan, a spokesman for Bangkok Airways.

Bangkok Airways flies three times a week between the two tourist spots using 70-seater Turboflot aircrafts, an official said.

Koh Samui, a small tropical island, is a favourite destination for British backpackers and gap-year students, as well as Americans, who flock there to enjoy its relaxed atmosphere, seafood and fine beaches.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-Koh-Samui.html

[frankman]

Suratthani airport a few years back 92 or so dead, remember?! Bad waether .......

[sabaijai]

The apparent cause of the crash according to multiple eye-witness reports was a freak (sudden and without warning) wind gust (sheer) during a brief, yet strong rainstorm. These are very unusual for Samui, since unlike Phuket where there was a similar incident a while back, Samui is on the other side of the Southern Thai Peninsula from the Andaman, so the monsoons do not reach as far as Samui.

Correction, the annual SW monsoon does reach as far as Samui, in fact all the way NE to Ko Chang. The Samui airport is shielded from the worst of it by the mountains in the interior of the island but strong winds are common. Of course there are local tropical storms as well.

[churchill]

Report: Some 20 Israelis on plane that crashed in Thailand, none injured

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3756878,00.html

Published: 08.04.09, 12:05 / Israel News

One of the passengers on the Bangkok Airways plane that crashed in Thailand, Moshe from Herzliya, said that there were between 20 and 25 Israeli passengers on the plane.

According to him, "The first rows were completely demolished. Luckily, the Israelis sat relatively in the last rows of the plane and they all got out safe and sound. However, one pilot was killed and other passengers sitting in the front rows were injured." (Daniel Edelson)

[dominique355]

Gee and I just booked TODAY tickets to Samui on Bangkok Airways. According to my ticket it will be an Airbus 319 though.

Oh man!

[kolohe]

.

Water is softer then a runway,  when did you last land one full of people.  My cardo doc is just fine and Thai.  It could be a case of the get there syndrome.  Push the conditions a bit to much because you don't want to take 70 people some place else and hear them bitch about it.

I echo this sentiment and that of those that have already mentioned it.

I bet the pressure on the pilots to land is huge, who with all their massive experience, must be terrified landing in those conditions and do the best they can. Someone already mentioned this airlines particularly good safety record.

I've asked already, and it would be interesting to find out. In these situations, especially on a small island like Samui, what are the contingency plans when weather is so bad that a landing could bring about an accident. What can they do?

I would assume they have enough fuel on board to make it to another airport... I really would like to know.

When weather is forecast to be worse than a given set of conditions they dispatch the aircraft with an alternate airport in their flight plan.. and with enough fuel to get there. The problem here is its not necessarily a case of "weather was bad, he should have gone somewhere else". If the visibility and cloud cover are ok and the hourly ATIS (airport weather) are reasonable, there's no reason not to attempt to land. Wind is very dynamic and can change in an instant. It wouldn't be the first time that the wind was ok for the aircraft that landed just a few minutes before, but while this aircraft was on short final or in the landing flare a sudden strong gust or windshear hit and caused the loss of control.

BTW, Pilots aren't terrified to land in wet or windy conditions. They are trained to evaluate the conditions and trained to land in the bad weather when appropriate or make the decision to go to the alternate airport. While I haven't been to every airline in the world, I can say that by and large there is no pressure at large airlines to sacrifice safety in order to land at a specific airport.

I hope this helps.

[MSingh]

Was an absolutely appaling 15 or so minutes of Weather though, the Wind & Rain was incredibly strong..

[ManInSurat]

Suratthani airport a few years back 92 or so dead, remember?! Bad waether .......

You're thinking of Phuket there in 2007.

The Surat crash was in 1998 and 101 died, and there was some controversy about cellphones and their influences on landing situations, although in the Surat accident the pilot made 3 approaches at landing.

[churchill]

The CNN Wire Latest updates on top stories

August 4th, 2009

Thailand plane crash kills 1

Posted: 05:23 AM ET

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.

Members of 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.

– CNN’s Dan Rivers contributed to this report.

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/04/th...-crash-kills-1/

[ManInSurat]

When weather is forecast to be worse than a given set of conditions they dispatch the aircraft with an alternate airport in their flight plan.. and with enough fuel to get there...

Thanks for an articulate and informed reply, all of what you say makes a lot of sense.

//Edit: reduced quoted text. No need to quote the entire, lengthy post with multiple nested quotes. - Maestro

[Samuian]

. These are very unusual for Samui, since unlike Phuket where there was a similar incident a while back, Samui is on the other side of the Southern Thai Peninsula from the Andaman, so the monsoons do not reach as far as Samui.

</div>

Sorry, sir this is utter BS!

There are extraordinary heavy low-level wind shears!

If a storm front like the recent ones in these days, moves in

every thing not fixed, takes off and it doesn't take lots of knowledge or

elaborate explanations that these gusts, could easily, a Light-Aircraft like the ATR

, certainly push off the runway on landing procedure!

[Pui]

Condolances to the Pilot's family, a sad loss. Prayers for those that are hurt.

Seconded.

This is the second plane that Bangkok Airways has lost landing on Samui. One went down trying to land in bad weather soon after the airport opened.

Yeah I'll jump in here and say my prays and thoughts go out to the victims. Not try get my post count up or nothing. The posts on this forum are quality.

[torrenova]

I've flown in those small planes loads of times, latterly on the PB Air internal schedule which are currently and ironically Bangkok Airways planes on lease / hire and they don't half get chucked about with the slightest amount of wind. I've also flown into Samui many times and though I've flown hundreds of times, there is something strangely satisfying on landing safely on Samui. Perhaps subconciously I think there is always an accident waiting to happen. Sadly, I am not surprised.

[PoorSucker]

From Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

[ManInSurat]

From Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

This photo quite clearly shows it crashed into an unmanned control tower as the BBC is reporting.

There have been conflicting reports of it crashing into the fire station at the airport.

Which is true? Or is the unmanned control tower doubling up as a fire response station?

Thanks for uploading this photo.

[NextStationBangkok]

A propeller plane ATR72 of Bangkok Airways veered off the runway shortly after touch down during heavy southwestern cross winds and heavy rain. It crossed a patch of grass and smashed with it's nose into the building of the airport fire fighters. Within seconds the fire fighters were laying a foam carpet over the plane, so there was no fire braking out.

I saw it happen from our terrace at about 14.13. After a few minutes the first emergency cars of the airport and a little bit later some ambulances from various hospitals arrived on the scene. I am sure there are quite many injuries since the plane was still quite fast when it hit the building.

Carlos

Message to Carlos : You should be proud that, your picture will be published in BBC.

I sent your picture to BBC saying copy right to : Carlos Primeros

Please contact BBC. Message below.

Thank you for sending us your photo.

Do you have a phone number I could give you a quick call on please?

I'd like to find out if you and Carlos would be happy for us to use the photo on BBC and to find out what happened (when you saw the plane etc)

Thanks for your help,

Silvia

Silvia Costeloe

Broadcast Journalist

BBC News, UGC Hub

68200, 020 8576 8200

[george]

Update:

Bangkok Airways CEO to tell press conference at 5 pm

Bangkok Airways Chief Executive Officer Prasert Prasartthong-Osoth will hold a press conference at 5 pm about the accident of Bangkok Airways flight PG266 on the Samui island.

-- The Nation 2009-08-04

[Devil]

I've flown in those small planes loads of times, latterly on the PB Air internal schedule which are currently and ironically Bangkok Airways planes on lease / hire and they don't half get chucked about with the slightest amount of wind. I've also flown into Samui many times and though I've flown hundreds of times, there is something strangely satisfying on landing safely on Samui. Perhaps subconciously I think there is always an accident waiting to happen. Sadly, I am not surprised.

Same here, really sad news this...

[Mosha]

Condolances to the Pilot's family, a sad loss. Prayers for those that are hurt.

Seconded.

This is the second plane that Bangkok Airways has lost landing on Samui. One went down trying to land in bad weather soon after the airport opened.

That was in 1990. 2 fatal accidents in 19 years.

[george]

Pilot killed in Bangkok Air crash on Samui

Breaking News

By John Le Fevre

KOH SAMUI (thaivisa.com): -- The pilot of a Bangkok Airways flight has been reportedly killed and more than 40 others injured following a crash landing on the Thailand holiday island of Koh Samui this afternoon.

Initial reports say the flight was attempting to land during heavy rain when it slid off the runway and crashed into the emergency services command building housing the airports firefighting and ambulance vehicles.

Reports from the accident scene say the aircraft, a 68-seat propeller-driven ATR-72, was on a scheduled flight from the southern Thailand city of Krabi when the crash occurred.

Bangkok Airways was established in 1968 as Sahakol Air operating air-taxi services and began scheduled flights in 1986, becoming Thailand's first privately-owned domestic airline.

In 1989 it re-branded to become Bangkok Airways and currently operates flights to 20 domestic Thailand destinations, as well as to Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Singapore, Hiroshima, and the Maldives.

Bangkok Airways is 92.31 percent owned by Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, with the remaining equity held by Sahakol Estate, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, and other shareholders.

Bangkok Airways employs more than 1,900 staff and also owns subsidiary airline Siem Reap Airways. It operates a mixed fleet of propeller and modern jet aircraft

The crash is the second the airline has had at Samui, with a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 crashing in similar circumstances in November 1990, killing all 38 people on board.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-04

[DMasut]

Today's Bangkok Airways Flight 266 that skid and crashed into the Samui Airport Tower is not new for this aircraft.

A couple of posters stated this aircraft French made ATR 72-500 is safe. Actually it is plagued by a history of problems.

American Eagle and Delta Airlines grounded their whole fleet after a few problems and then removed all of them permanently from service in any temperate climate routes.

The ATR 72-500 has a history of failure and accidents related to:

-Fuel Exhaustion and accidents caused by malfunctioning fuel indicators

-Engine and component icing problems even in areas with warmer climates. (icing more a condition of humidity and altitude than just location.)

[Razorblade]

Those with very good eyes will find a link on the BKK Air website (on top) about the accident

As it was expected, it's not working

I tried to post the link, but it seems I'm not allowed to do....

Edit : it seems to work right now, but only in Thai...

Here is the google translation :

Samui / 4 August 2552 - 14:15 pm at the airline's aircraft, Bangkok Airways flight PG266 is the ATR-72 aircraft-size 70-seat passengers a total of 68 people with 2 person flight crew 2 person from the Airport Samui Airport Krabi come. Slip out Ranewis flight control room, and old people. While landing at the airport to Samui received initial reports are that transport passengers from the accident and made. Sent the injured to nearby hospitals. Now Samui Airport has temporarily closed the service. Will be announced by the airline's management in time 17:00 am today at 17 floor office building in the airline Bangkok Airways. Vibhavadi Rangsit Road

Is the latest casualty reports following

* 5 people seriously injured (to the hospital).

* 2 minor injuries (to the hospital).

* 61 people safely.

* 2 person crew safety.

Pilot safe 1 * 1 person died.

For more information on the Emergency Call Center 02 265 8777.

Edited August 4, 2009 by Razorblade

[newcomer01]

Bad Weather, Bad Timing & bad luck. The old "if". Looking at the photo what are the odds against the plane skidding at the precise moment that it would hit the only solid object on the that side of the airport.

Prayers to the deceased and injured.

[tw25rw]

He probably landed in similar conditions all the time and was perfectly competent at it, but on this occasion a gust of wind and a critical point knocked him off line and he couldn't recover. It's a bit like the Qantas incident in '99 but without the soft golf course to slide into.