Bangkok Airways Flight 266 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Krabi Airport to Samui Airport, Thailand. On 4 August 2009, the aircraft skidded off the runway on landing and crashed into an old and unmanned control tower. One pilot died and 41 other people were injured.
 HS-PGL, photographed at Suvarnabhumi Airport five months before the accident | |
| Runway excursion | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 August 2009 |
| Summary | Runway excursion on landing |
| Site | Samui Airport, Thailand 09°32′52″N 100°03′44″E / 9.54778°N 100.06222°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | ATR 72-500 |
| Aircraft name | Pha Ngan |
| Operator | Bangkok Airways |
| Registration | HS-PGL |
| Flight origin | Krabi Airport, Thailand |
| Destination | Samui Airport, Thailand |
| Passengers | 68 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 41 |
| Survivors | 71 |
Accident
edit
The aircraft is reported to have skidded off the runway and hit an old and unmanned control tower that was used as a fire-fighting station. The accident happened at around 14:15 local time (07:15 UTC).[1] One pilot was reported to have been killed. The co-pilot, who was stuck in the aircraft for more than two hours, was among the last evacuated from the stricken plane. Serious injuries included four passengers – two British, one Italian and one Swiss suffered broken legs, while two other British suffered less severe injuries. The co-pilot also had leg injuries. A total of 41 people were injured.[2] The METAR in force at the time of the accident was METAR VTSM 040700Z 29015KT 9000 FEW020TCU SCT120 BKN300 31/25 Q1007 A2974 TCU-NW.[3] This translates as METAR for Samui Airport, issued on the 4th of the month at 07:00 UTC, wind at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), direction 290° visibility 9 kilometres (5.6 mi; 4.9 nmi), few clouds at 2,000 feet (610 m), scattered clouds at 12,000 feet (3,700 m), broken clouds at 30,000 feet (9,100 m), temperature 31 °C (88 °F), dewpoint 25 °C (77 °F), altimeter 1007 milibar, towering cumulonimbus to north west.[4]
Aircraft
editThe aircraft involved was an ATR 72-500, registered as HS-PGL,[5] msn 670. The aircraft first flew on 6 June 2001 with French registration F-WWER. It entered service with Bangkok Airways on 16 July 2001 re-registered HS-PGL. On 29 May 2006, it entered service with Siem Reap Airways International, returning to Bangkok Airways on 7 January 2009 after Siem Reap Airways International ceased trading. The aircraft was named Pha Ngan,[6] and has been in service for approx. 20,000 hrs.[citation needed]
Aftermath
editThe fuselage of the aircraft spent a few years on roadsides in different parts of Samui before being sunk in October 2013 as part of Majcha Air Samui Artificial Reef Project.
References
edit- ^ "Pilot killed in Thai plane crash". BBC News. 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "Fatal Bangkok Airways crash on Samui". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "History for Sumui, Thailand". Wunderground. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "METAR tutorial". Wunderground. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "Fatalities reported as Bangkok Airways ATR 72–500 skids off runway". Flightglobal. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "ATR 42/72 – MSN 670". Airfleets. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
