Bangkok Airways crash at Koh Samui (Thailand)

[Basman]

According to nu.nl (http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/2054080/vlieg ... iland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), a Bangkok airways plane crashed today at Koh Samui, hitting the control tower. 70 pax onboard, no news yet about eventual casualties.


Bas

[Rockville]

Several wounded in Thai jet crash

Several passengers have been injured after a Thai domestic airliner skidded off the runway and hit a control tower on a popular tourist island.

The Bangkok Airways flight with about 70 people on board crashed during landing on Koh Samui, reports said.

A company official told reporters that all passengers were evacuated, but said an unspecified number were wounded.

The plane was arriving from the western Thai town of Krabi, which is also a popular tourist destination.

"The plane just pinched the control tower but there was no fire," Sakchai Jorpalit, district chief of the Thai tourist island, told the French news agency AFP.

He said most of the wounded were tourists, adding that some were hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries.

An airport official told the Associated Press that it was raining heavily when the plane landed around 1400 local time (0800 GMT).

The resort island of Koh Samui lies some 300 miles (480km) south of Bangkok.

Story from BBC NEWS;
Published: 2009/08/04 08:45:49 GMT

[Le Addeur noir]

The Bangkok Post reports the pilot,Khun Chartchai Pansuwan was sadly killed in this crash. RIP.

Bangkok Airways is an airline with a safe reputation,and this is the first the fatal accident of this operator for some 20 years.

The flight was PG266.

[Gerard]

Several wounded in Thai jet crash

Jet crash
This is what avherald.com reports:

A Bangkok Airways Aerospatiale ATR-72-500, flight PG-266 from Krabi to Koh Samui (Thailand), skidded off the runway at Koh Samui and collided with an old unused control tower at around 14:30 local (07:30Z). One person is reported killed, 10 minor injuries are being reported, the airplane is said to have received substantial damage to the nose section.

The airline believes, heavy rain at the time of the landing contributed to the accident.


Regards,
Gerard

[flying_kiwi]

Pic:


Seems to have hit the old tower next to the airport fire station.

Regards,
Yorden

[T7]

Photo at nu.nl suggests it is HS-PGL.

[RobertMB]

Photo at nu.nl suggests it is HS-PGL.

Correct, confirmation at URL: http://aviation-safety.net/database/rec ... 20090804-0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BR, Robert

[Nlspot2003]

This one was at the Paris airshow in 2001 as F-WWER / HS-PGL.

[Optimus]

As I've been to Samui many times, I'm glad that, however the accident is very tragic, the aircraft went off the runway on this side. On the other side of the runway you'll find ditches, the platform and the 'open' terminal buildings which are relatively close to the runway.

On a sidenote: I would fly Bangkok Airways anytime. Great airline!

Edit: Hurricane is correct. I'd rather call it an accident.

[Hurricane]

Just my 2 cents;

Why does everybody call it a crash as in fact this is skid of runway and a head-on-collision with a building ??

There is much more drama shown then actually involved

Adios, Hurricane

[flying_kiwi]

Why does everybody call it a crash as in fact this is skid of runway and a head-on-collision with a building ??

So if a car went off the road and had a head-on collision with a building it wouldn't be a crash?
Calling it a crash is a fair description, although I'd prefer using accident (or in other cases serious incident or incident depending on the circumstances).

The aircraft was reportedly landing on runway 35, the wind was from 290 at 15 knots, with towering cumulus clouds at 2000ft and reports of rain. With this in mind, I wonder what the drainage is like on the runway, as if the aircraft was aquaplaning, the crosswind could have pushed the tail to the right causing the aircraft to go off the runway in the direction it did. One possibility.

Yorden

[cHabu]

.

Link with some footage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8182962.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The pilot of a Thai plane has been killed and seven passengers injured as it skidded off the runway while landing on the tourist island of Koh Samui.

The Bangkok Airways flight, carrying 72 people, hit an old and unmanned control tower amid reports of heavy rain.

Chris.

[Basman]

Why does everybody call it a crash as in fact this is skid of runway and a head-on-collision with a building ??

There is much more drama shown then actually involved

I called it a crash as that is what the news sites called it this morning, when not much was known yet.
Besides that, how many victims does it require to be called a drama? Isn't one enough?

Bas

[Boudewijn van Oirschot]

As I've been to Samui many times, I'm glad that, however the accident is very tragic, the aircraft went off the runway on this side. On the other side of the runway you'll find ditches, the platform and the 'open' terminal buildings which are relatively close to the runway.

On a sidenote: I would fly Bangkok Airways anytime. Great airline!

Edit: Hurricane is correct. I'd rather call it an accident.

I have been to Koh Samui to two years ago... it should be really angry times for the waiting passengers in the 'terminal' as they have runway view all the time...

Very sad news again, it was not a very old aircraft