Flight International online news 10:30GMT: Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation has found that a Phuket Air NAMC YS-11 involved in an incident in Mae Sot on 11 September touched down long on the runway before it ran off the end and into muddy ground, resulting in extensive damage.
None of the 28 occupants – 24 passengers, two cabin crew and two pilots – were injured.
According to Avsoft’s ACAS database this particular aircraft, registered HS-KVO, was built in 1969 and is one of five YS-11s the airline owns. The DCA ordered the airline to ground its other YS-11s after the incident and they have yet to be cleared for a return to operation.
DCA director of flight standards Vutichai Singhamany says : “The accident was caused by wet landing…and during the approach the pilot overshot the runway a little bit. They overshot it and they didn’t have enough runway left.
“It stopped in mud off the end of the runway,” adds Vutichai. “There is quite a bit [of damage] to the nose gear, main landing gear [plus] the propeller hit the ground and there is also some damage to the wing flap”.
The incident at Mae Sot occurred at around 09:00 on 11 September as the aircraft was operating a scheduled service from Bangkok. Vutichai says that “we don’t know yet” when the airline’s YS-11s will be permitted to operate again because each is being inspected and there may be work that needs to be done on the aircraft.
The two pilots on board have also been prevented from operating aircraft until further investigations are carried out and they are now both required to undergo physical examinations.
In the meantime Phuket Air’s entire domestic operation is suspended and currently its only scheduled services cover twice-weekly flights from Bangkok to Yangon in Myanmar using Boeing 737-200s, of which it has two.
Phuket Air was operating domestically from Bangkok to Burirum and Ranong as well as Mae Sot using the YS-11s.
LEITHEN FRANCIS/SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
