Samui Airport To Resume Operation This Afternoon

[george]

Samui Airport expected to re-open in afternoon: Civil Aviation Department

BANGKOK: -- Samui Airport where a Bangkok Airways aircraft skidded off the runway and crashed into an unused air traffic control tower after landing expected to re-open for normally service after midday when investigators inspect the runway and complete collecting evidence to help find the cause of the accident, a senior aviation official said on Wednesday.

Bangkok Airways flight PG266 hit the old air traffic control tower, converted into a fire station, killing a pilot and injured 41 passengers. The aircraft, enroute from Krabi to Samui airport in the popular resort island of Samui in Surat Thani, carried 68 passengers and four crew members.

Mrs Kannika Khemawuthanont, Director-General of Thailand’s Civil Aviation Department, said the authorities had already retrieved the black box but the cause of the accident could not yet be concluded as the box required decoding abroad and investigators must collect more evidence at the airport.

She said this morning the authorities would inspect the runway to collect evidence, including aircraft tyre traces on the runway, and then remove the damaged aircraft before re-opening the airport.

It was expected that the airport could resume normal services after midday, she said.

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.

Meanwhile, the body of pilot Chartchai Pansuwan was airlifted to Bangkok Wednesday morning together with the co-pilot, who is in critical condition.

He suffered broken ribs and other broken bone was admitted to Bangkok Hospital in the capital.

The co-pilot was stuck in the aircraft for more than two hours and was reportedly among the last to be evacuated from the heavily damaged plane.

Five foreigners who were seriously injured are recovering after successful operations.

-- TNA 2009-08-05

[george]

Samui airport to resume operation this afternoon

BANGKOK: -- Officials have found the black-box flight recorder of the crashed plane and the one-runway Samui airport will resume providing services from 1pm today, Civil Aviation Department director general, Kannika Khemawuthanont, said on Wednesday morning.

The airport’s authority will this morning remove the crashed airplane out of runway and clear the debris so that the airport can resume operation in the afternoon as planned, Ms Kannika said. The found black-box will be sent to either the US or France for examining the cause of the accident.

The French-manufactured 70-seat ATR72-500 aircraft of Bangkok Airways yesterday afternoon skidded off the runway as it was touching down on the Samui airport. The plane’s pilot was killed and 12 people were injured, four of them seriously. The accident forced the closure of the only airport of the resort island.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-05

[BSJ]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

[spidermike007]

I will not re-think that for a nanosecond. On 21 November 1990, a Bangkok Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 crashed on Koh Samui while attempting to land in heavy rain and high winds. All 38 people on board perished. That has been their only serious accident to date. The two other accidents they had in the past 30 years resulted on one fatality. Not bad. They are an excellent airline, with good equipment, and an excellent safety record. However, they had no business landing in that weather. Apparently, Samui is subject to wind shear, and the wind was really gusting at that time. They should have either stayed in the air, and circled the airport until things calmed down, which it did 30 minutes later, or they should have landed in Surat Thani, and waited out the storm.

[george]

6 Bangkok Airways passengers remain at Bangkok Samui Hospital

KOH SAMUI: -- Six severely-injured passengers of the Bangkok Airways' Flight PG266 remained under doctors' care at the Bangkok Samui Hospital, the spokesman woman of Bangkok Airways said Wedensday.

Most of them suffered broken legs because they were seated near the front section of the pane, said ML Nanthikar Worawan, the spokeswoman.

She said other Bangkok Airways passengers had checked into their hotels.

She said the flight had an insurance of US$250 million plus another US$250 million for the plane.

Insurance firms will investigate the incident and play the compensations accordingly, she said.

Samui Airport to reopen at 1 pm Wednesday

The Samui Airport is expected to resume operation at 1 pm Wednesday, the spokeswoman of Bangkok Airways said.

ML Nanthikar Worawan, the spokeswoman, said after officials collected all necessary evidences, the PG266 plane would be removed from the airport so that the airport could resume operation at 1 pm.

-- The Nation 2009-08-05

[dale8]

Hello, it was a sad story for the man killed and the people hurt and their families. Maybe the people that control the flights will consider a delay when a strong storm goes to Koh Samui, but they are thinking about money a lot so the passengers should not have as much bling faith in the decision making of others. We can always choose to not go on a flight if we think there is too much of a risk with the weather taking off or landing. I will pray for a fast recovery for all the people hurt, and for the family of the man killed.

[zepplin]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

[lv2play]

The problem is not the airline but the airport.

During rain or storm it,s a very risky aproach to the runway.

More incidents happened and often landings have been called off at the very last moment,many times planes are diverted to phuket.

Samui as an airport looks cute but i,m not sure the pilots like it that much.

[animatic]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

Ditto 50 x 100%

Never liked these old albatroses.

[Samuian]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

as the aircraft was already taxiing down the runway, approx. 300 mtr. it is more likely to be a sudden technical failure....!

We will have to wait till the investigation brings more results and the Co-Pilot can make a statement regardingthe accident!

[Aussie777]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

Zepplin....

I hope all others reading your post choose to disregard it as I have....."20 year old propellor planes".....sorry to burst your bubble, but the ATR-72 is a modern day turboprop and can work in areas that a "jet" cannot. Jets are not always "easier" to fly...I have flown the 747 and I can tell you that a gust of wind can ruin your day on that aircraft, just as much as it can on the ATR. Please take a little more time to think about your post before making such statements, though I do realise that not all posters on this site are involved in the aviation industry, as I find it somewhat disrespectful to the families of those involved and misleading to other readers?

Cheers,

Aussie777

[20member09]

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

Actually the opposite is true in this case, jets have a higher approach speed for landing and therefore at touchdown their speed is higher, combining that, with the higher weight of the aircraft would have made the crash worst. The simple fact is accidents happen, planes slide of runways, it has happen before and will happen again. If not for the death this would be a much smaller story.

[fred007]

I have to say i believe that the runway is too short and would like see an upgrade as to lenght of the runway.Also most commercial airports have two runways and use either depending on wind direction and weather conditions. But this is Thailand I guess.I hope lessons are learnt by this crash for the future.

[Targus]

I will not re-think that for a nanosecond. On 21 November 1990, a Bangkok Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 crashed on Koh Samui while attempting to land in heavy rain and high winds. All 38 people on board perished. That has been their only serious accident to date. The two other accidents they had in the past 30 years resulted on one fatality. Not bad. They are an excellent airline, with good equipment, and an excellent safety record. However, they had no business landing in that weather. Apparently, Samui is subject to wind shear, and the wind was really gusting at that time. They should have either stayed in the air, and circled the airport until things calmed down, which it did 30 minutes later, or they should have landed in Surat Thani, and waited out the storm.

I totally agree with you and whilst our thoughts are with the pilot and his family at this very sad time why is it that pilots still try to land planes when weather conditions are so dangerous.

[dude007]

I will not re-think that for a nanosecond. On 21 November 1990, a Bangkok Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 crashed on Koh Samui while attempting to land in heavy rain and high winds. All 38 people on board perished. That has been their only serious accident to date. The two other accidents they had in the past 30 years resulted on one fatality. Not bad. They are an excellent airline, with good equipment, and an excellent safety record. However, they had no business landing in that weather. Apparently, Samui is subject to wind shear, and the wind was really gusting at that time. They should have either stayed in the air, and circled the airport until things calmed down, which it did 30 minutes later, or they should have landed in Surat Thani, and waited out the storm.

You're right spidermike007. That would have been the right approach. But the fear of loosing their premium by failing to land from the first approach (i.e. the shortest possible time in the air) is the main reason why these pilots take incredible risks. Every airport has its own weather station (including anemometers) and they know exactly at what cross wind they will land, often near or over the safety limit of these aircrafts.

Futhermore, these Thai pilots, most of them trained at Hua Hin, have little or no experience flying in bad weather. Hua Hin training center wants to keep its safety record absolutely clean!!! The weather is for 80% of the time perfect to fly, good visibility and clear sky; no turbulences, no cross winds, no clouds, long comfortable runway... Thai pilot licenses from Hua Hin training centre are not accepted in many countries whilst foreigners who have trained there cannot fly a Thai company because they are not Thais... but this is not an explanation for the accident which happened. With Surat Thani (December 1998: 101 deads) and Phuket (September 2007: 88 deads), Thai Companies had already two serious warnings... Will they ever learn how to set safety as priority and not the financial benefits?

[Viper]

I used to be an Aeronautical engineer for 6 years in UK, and the one time i flew from Samui to Bangkok on one of these aircraft, I noticed how poorly maintained these aircraft were, so much so that the steal wire was poking through the canvass on the tyres, and oil traces over the wings from engine cowls, and filthy to say the least thus making more drag and strain on the engines to be basic.

Samui is privately owned by Bangkok airways. I now fly Ultralights and all airfields and airports owned by Bangkok airways incur and 300 USD landing fee. I simply stay away from!! They are not hard up for cash they are just tight MF's!!!

[robbiecia]

She said the flight had an insurance of US$250 million plus another US$250 million for the plane.

-- The Nation 2009-08-05

WoW 250 million US for an ATR..................thought you could buy a widebody jet for that

[animatic]

I have landed at Samui Airport in ever good sized plane that comes and goes there.

These ATR's are much more unstable that the others I have ridden in on landing.

It is AFTER they have landed that is my issue.

The narrow wheel base is MUCH less forgiving to the side winds we KNOW happen here.

Sorry I will draw my own conclusions based on experience IN these planes.

i DO NOT LIKE THEM. And after yesterday like them much less.

My understanding is the runway is too short because of a chinese burial ground at one end.

They apparently are too paranoid about disturbing the spirits and reintering to extend the runway,

and only talk about ruining the south end of the island with a bigger airport.

There IS space to extend, and nothing there that deep pockets can't buy easily given the will.

But fear of ghosts is the most stated reason for not doing so...TIT

Why they don't hire every monk on the island to walk these spirits to

paradise 300 meters away I'll never understand.

[cdnvic]

I hope all others reading your post choose to disregard it as I have....."20 year old propellor planes".....sorry to burst your bubble, but the ATR-72 is a modern day turboprop and can work in areas that a "jet" cannot. Jets are not always "easier" to fly...I have flown the 747 and I can tell you that a gust of wind can ruin your day on that aircraft, just as much as it can on the ATR. Please take a little more time to think about your post before making such statements

Well said.

Welcome to Thaivisa Aussie777

[Jingjok]

I used to fly rotaries, and admittedly know next to nothing about plank-wings, but was once sufficiently concerned about an approach into Phuket during a violent storm that I asked the chief steward what was going on.

He told me not to worry: 'Thai pilots know all the tricks'. This did not reassure me. As others have hinted, could there be cultural/financial factors here?

[Rimmer]

I have landed at Samui Airport in ever good sized plane that comes and goes there.

These ATR's are much more unstable that the others I have ridden in on landing.

It is AFTER they have landed that is my issue.

The narrow wheel base is MUCH less forgiving to the side winds we KNOW happen here.

The ATR is certified for 45 knots cross wind landing. Most jets for 25 knots cross wind...

You have the advantage of quick response through propwash when advancing the power levers and flat pitch on the prop when in idle.

[alstaxi]

The runway at Saui is 4724'. plenty long enough for that aircraft, but throw in a little wind shear, who knows how much rain on the runway, some pressure from the company to keep everthing on time, pilot face, etc. and you would have problems with a 14,000' runway. RIP to the pilot.

[Trouble]

It never ceases to amaze me the cra*p the some individuals post here. A plane crashes in bad weather, the pilot is killed, others injured and the "experts" here all have a reason. Claims of "old" turboprops, bad airport, airlines putting money over the safety of passengers and crew are all such nonsense as to laughable. No one has a clue yet as to the cause but that doesn't stop posters here on speculating with most having no experience flying an aircraft. All we know at this point is that the weather was far from ideal, that apparently the plane had landed and was rolled down the runway about 300 meters before leaving the runway and crashing into the old tower. Had it gone off the runway a little earlier or a little later and missed the building perhaps the pilot would not have lost his life. He was apparently an experienced pilot on that particular aircraft. Hopefully the investigation will find the true cause of the accident but for the time being maybe it would just be nice to assume that wind shear caught the plane since there is indication of the weather being a factor. Ever seen the video on youtube of the big jets coming in for landings at some airport in Europe and being thrown all over the place because of the wind? Ever been is a 747 in very rough weather and being bounced all over the sky? Wind is a very very powerful force against a plane. This particular aircraft is certainly subject to a wind gust driving it off the runway, IF that is what happened. I prefer to wait and see what the investigation tells rather than speculate that it was someones fault or that someone was interested in profits more than lives, etc. Get real people!

[Chua]

Bugger! I normally fly on Bangkok Air reasoning it's better to pay for well kept planes and good pilots! May have to rethink that!

THEY just need to get rid of those 20 year old propellor planes,they are terrible,the jets are 50x better,and i bet a lot easyer to fly and heavyer so the wind would not push them around as much, rip pilot.

as the aircraft was already taxiing down the runway, approx. 300 mtr. it is more likely to be a sudden technical failure....!

We will have to wait till the investigation brings more results and the Co-Pilot can make a statement regardingthe accident!

I second this posting. The fact that it was a prop plane is not the issue. Yes, it was very windy at the time, yet it's very windy a lot of days all over the world and that doesn't cause crashes very often (sometimes yes, but rarely, and it's usually a downdraft wind sheer that pulls a plane down, not sideways). In 23 years of multiple daily flights to and from Samui there has only ever been one other serious accident. That's a pretty amazingly clean record.

The news reported that the air traffic controllers notified the pilot of the windy conditions, but the fact that the plane landed safely and traveled for 300 meters seems to indicate the wind was not the sole or necessarily even the primary cause. The fact that the plane landed normally, traveled for 300 meters and then veered into the old tower seems to indicate that something went wrong at that point (perhaps mechanical failure/malfunction, pilot error, debris on the runway, etc.

As noted in a previous post (see http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Bangkok-Airw...03#entry2919303 quoted below ) from an eyewitness who was also listening to air traffic control radio at the time, it appeared that the right side brakes failed, thus when the pilot applied both brakes, only the left side worked, causing the plane to pull to the left. See below:

I witnessed this tragic accident and was listning on my airband radio.

Two airbus aircraft took off on runway 35 in short succession, at the same time as the ATR72 reported downwind for runway 35 and asked for a wind check. The tower informed him the wind as 300/15kts. The pilot reported turning base and was given the wind as 290/18kts and cleared to land. At this time it began to rain heavily and I was interested to see the landing. The pilot seemed to make a textbook landing and continued down the centerline of the runway ,slowing down, to a point apposite the terminal building (maybe 500 meters) when it seemed he applied the brakes and the plane turned 90 degrees left (as if the right hand brakes failed) colliding head on into the old tower building.

...

[SomchaiCNX]

In MHO one should take in to account that Asian pilots have something else to deal with " loss of face" and "the captain is allways right" when making a decision.

Planes crashed because of this and still continue to do. (some Asian airlines where ordered to fix the problem)

Common sense like in the West is not that common in the East when these two things are involved.

[cdnvic]

In MHO one should take in to account that Asian pilots have something else to deal with " loss of face" and "the captain is allways right" when making a decision.

Planes crashed because of this and still continue to do. (some Asian airlines where ordered to fix the problem)

Common sense like in the West is not that common in the East when these two things are involved.

It's not unknown in western airlines either. The most deadly airline crash in history was because a Dutch captain was afraid to face not maintaining the airline's strict rules about delays and maximum work hours for pilots. He accelerated down a foggy runway and collided with a second 747.

Let's hope nobody has to learn that lesson again.

[animatic]

I have landed at Samui Airport in ever good sized plane that comes and goes there.

These ATR's are much more unstable that the others I have ridden in on landing.

It is AFTER they have landed that is my issue.

The narrow wheel base is MUCH less forgiving to the side winds we KNOW happen here.

The ATR is certified for 45 knots cross wind landing. Most jets for 25 knots cross wind...

You have the advantage of quick response through propwash when advancing the power levers and flat pitch on the prop when in idle.

45 knots cross wind approaching, or after landing?

Well I WAS out in that weather yesterday not too far from the airport AT THAT TIME.

50 knots was definitely something I thought I was out in.

And I have experienced hurricanes, full gales, gales and tornadoes.

I know what 100 KPH on my big bike feels like. 53 knots.

I got OFF the bike because the gusting crosswind in Chaweng at ground level was that bad.

Signs going over, palms flying around from ONE side of the tree. I didn't want to get hit.

There was no propwash from planes just landing or departing before me in any recent landings.

But I still got the piss scared out of me.

[george]

Update: -- Samui air crash cause to be known in one month

BANGKOK: -- The result of the investigation of Tuesday’s Bangkok Airways plane crash on Samui island may be known within a month, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport Chaisak Angkasuwan said Wednesday.

Mr Chaisak and Transport Minister Sophon Zarum inspected the site where the Bangkok Airways plane skidded off a Samui Airport runway and crashed into an old air control tower.

Officials finished collecting relevant evidence and the airport will resume its operations at 1 pm Wednesday.

Mr Chaisak said it may be about one month for investigators to determine the cause of the accident from the black box and the pilots’ voice record. The co-pilot who survived the accident will be debriefed after he recovers.

The transport official said he believed the investigation will not take nearly a year as in the One-Two-Go air crash at Phuket International Airport two years ago.

The cause of the incident may relate to bad weather, human error, or a defective engine part, he said. More investigation is needed to determine the cause of the accident.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee is considering sending the black box of the aircraft for decoding in France and a rapid investigative result as the ATR 72 aircraft was manufactured there, said Kannika Khemawuthanont, Director-General of Thailand’s Civil Aviation Department.

The black box of the One-Two-Go aircraft was sent to the US for investigation, she added.

Meanwhile, Ruangnam Jaikwang, chairman of the Southeastern Thai Hotel Association, said he was confident that Tuesday’s plane crash would not affect tourism on Samui island.

Mr Ruangnam said he believed tourists would understand that the crash was an unexpected accident.

The Bangkok Airways on Wednesday provided ferries for about 200 stranded ticket holders from the island to the mainland to take the plane at Surat Thani Airport.

-- TNA 2009-08-05

[mcyachty]

I will not re-think that for a nanosecond. On 21 November 1990, a Bangkok Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 crashed on Koh Samui while attempting to land in heavy rain and high winds. All 38 people on board perished. That has been their only serious accident to date. The two other accidents they had in the past 30 years resulted on one fatality. Not bad. They are an excellent airline, with good equipment, and an excellent safety record. However, they had no business landing in that weather. Apparently, Samui is subject to wind shear, and the wind was really gusting at that time. They should have either stayed in the air, and circled the airport until things calmed down, which it did 30 minutes later, or they should have landed in Surat Thani, and waited out the storm.

I totally agree with you and whilst our thoughts are with the pilot and his family at this very sad time why is it that pilots still try to land planes when weather conditions are so dangerous.

I agree, and wont hesitate to fly with Bangkok Airways again. I, and others I know can only rave about Bangkok Airways. The service, clenliness, and attutide of the staff is fantastic, and I only wish Jetstar, Virvin Blue and the likes could learn a thing or 2.

I hope Bangkok Airways, and the Island of Samui recovers, as they sure do need a bit of luck.

My prayers also for the the family of the dead pilot, and those injured.

A sad ACCIDENT.

[george]

Samui Airport reopened

KOH SAMUI: -- The Samui Airport resumed operations at 2 pm Wednesday, the Bangkok Airways announced in a press release.

It said the first flight that left the Samui Airport was Bangkok Airways PG100 which took off at 2 pm. It is scheduled to land at the Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3 pm.

-- The Nation 2009-08-05