A Vietnam Airlines ATR72-210 turboprop skidded off the runway of Tan Son Nhut airport at Ho Chi Minh City on Friday morning after its brakes failed. All 70 passengers and crew were unhurt.
The aircraft, en-route to Phu Quoc island, had reported problems with the hydraulic system and returned to the airport 15 minutes after take-off. It landed correctly but was unable to stop in time and left the runway, coming to a halt on the grass beside a taxiway.
 A Vietnam Airlines ATR72 of the type that suffered hydraulic failure |
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Vietnam Airlines’ maintenance director, Tran Van Mai, is reported as saying that one of the valves in the hydraulic system had broken.
Vietnam Airlines carried over 6.8 million passengers in 2006, a 17% increase from the year before. The carrier is to be partially privatised next year through an initial public offering.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
