Thailand

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    Thai Air Force Fighter Jet Crashes in Lopburi Province; Pilot Killed

    Royal Thai Air ForceA Royal Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed in Khok Samrong district of Thailand’s central Lopburi province, at around 3 p.m. on February 20.

    The accident happened when the plane was participating in missile-launch training drill.

    According to Lopburi governor Thanakom Chongchira, “The pilot could not eject himself out of the plane in time.” Rescue teams found his body in the wreckage.

    The cause of crash is under investigation.

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    Passenger Throws Hot Water at Flight Attendant; Air Asia Plane Returns to Bangkok

    Air Asia

    An Air Asia Flight had to return and make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 11.

    The charter flight was on its way to Nanjing, China, when a Chinese passenger threw boiling hot water and noodles at a flight attendant.

    The airline said in statement, “An unidentified female passenger assaulted the flight attendant with the hot liquid after becoming dissatisfied with the service…The captain of the flight decided to return the plane to Don Mueang Airport deeming her actions as endangering to other passengers and impeding in-flight service.”

    The plane landed safely and the flight attendant was given medical aid.

    The unruly passengers, along with 3 accompanying people, were removed from the plane.

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    Thai Military Helicopter Crash Kills 9

    helicopterA Thai military helicopter crashed into a field in Muang district, Phayao province of Thailand on November 17.

    The Bell 212 helicopter, heading from an army base in Phayao to Chiang Rai province, crashed just about 10 minutes into the flight.

    There were 9 people aboard, including the Deputy Third Army Area commander, Maj Gen Songpon Thongjeen. According to the deputy army spokesperson Sirichan Ngathong, all 9 people aboard the ill-fated chopper were killed.

    The cause of crash is not clear at the moment.

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    Malindo Air Flight Lands in Emergency in Bangkok

    Malindo AirMalindo Air flight OD206, heading from New Delhi, India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, at 2:25 a.m. on November 3.

    The authorities said the pilot decided to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport after a technical issue was discovered in the Boeing 737-900ER aircraft.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 121 passengers and 8 crew members remained unharmed.

    The airline said in a statement, “The passengers are being taken care of by Thai Lion Air and arrangements to put them on another flight to Kuala Lumpur at 3.45pm (4.45pm Malaysian time) are already under way.”

    The aircraft was taken for examination.

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    Bird-Struck Nok Air Flight Makes Emergency Landing at Surat Thani

    NOK AIr

    Nok Air Flight DD7805, heading from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, made an emergency landing at Surat Thani airport, Thailand, at about 8:20 a.m. on August 31.

    The pilot requested permission for emergency landing after the left wing of Boeing 738 aircraft was hit by birds. The aircraft made an uneventful landing and all 139 crew and passengers remained unharmed.

    According to Atthaporn Nuang-udom, director of Surat Thani airport, “The crew and passengers were then assembled in the airport’s arrival lounge. NokAir arranged for another aircraft to pick them up and flew them safely to Don Mueang on Sunday morning.”

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    Bird-Struck AirAsia Flight Makes Emergency Landing at Phuket

    Air AsiaThe AirAsia Flight FD 3187 had to make an emergency landing at Thailand’s Phuket International Airport, due to bird strike, on August 5.

    The flight, carrying 153 passengers and 6 crew members, was on its way from Nakorn Sri Thammarat to Bangkok when a bird smashed into one of the engine intakes and damaged the engine of the Airbus A320-200.

    The plane landed safely at about 5:15 p.m.

    The airline provided an alternate aircraft to take the passengers to their destination.

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    Thai Air Force Training Jet Crash Lands in Nakhon Ratchaima

    606192A Thai Air force training jet skidded along the runway, during an attack exercise in the Wing 1 Royal Thai Air Force Base located in Nakhon Ratchaima, Thailand.

    According to air force spokesperson, two L39 training jets were involved in a land attack exercise on Friday March 14, 2014, as part of Thailand, Singapore and the US Cope Tigher 2014 joint exercise activities. One jet, when returned to make an emergency landing, slid off the runway.

    Both crew members remained uninjured.

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    LAO Airlines Crash Update

    At last the flight data recorder from the crash of a Lao Airlines turboprop ATR-72 has been recovered from the Mekong river. The cockpit voice recorder has been located also but has not yet been retrieved due to the strong currents and muddy water of the Mekong.

    The flight data recorder tracks technical data: altitude, speed and route.

    A cockpit voice recorder records cockpit conversation. The cockpit voice recorder has not been retrieved, though news releases to the contrary have been circulated.

    Lao Airlines most recent press release:

    Read more:

    Lao Airlines Victims Recovered in Mekong River

    LAO Airlines Crash Update: Victims Named

    Painful Search Continues in Laos

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    Thai Airways Airbus with Nosegear Failure skids off Bangkok runway, 14 Hospitalized


    A Thai Airways International Airbus A330-321 en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International (i.e. China to Thailand) had a runway excursion when it landed at its destination.

    Fortunately emergency services were on hand to put out the fire that started in the engine.

    The Thai Airways statement said there was a “landing gear malfunction.”

    The plane went off the right side of the runway, and the nosegear failed.

    There were fourteen crew and 388 passengers. Fourteen people were injured and hospitalized in Bangkok. Emergency slides were used to exit the plane. We presume the injuries occurred on the emergency slides.

    Theguardian reported that Thai Airways covered up the logo after the accident. This practice is known as the “crisis communication rule” from Star Alliance, and is a measure to save face and reputation.

    See Footage below

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    Nordwind Plane Fender Bender in Thailand


    On August 14, 2013, a Nordwind Airlines Boeing 767 300 en route from Bangkok to Irkutsk, with 284 passengers aboard was (standing) on the ground when it was struck by a vehicle.

    None of the passengers aboard were injured–expressed by Phuket news as “no human casualties” but the plane suffered damage.

    The plane was on the ground in Suvarnabhumi, Thailand. Passengers (we hope) were provided alternate transportation, but there’s no indication we could find of what those circumstances might be.

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    Orient Thai Airlines Flat in Thailand

    On July 31, 2013, an Orient Thai Airlines Boeing 73703T) was en route from Guiyang to Phuket.

    Pilots diverted to Surat THani airport and made an emergency landing around 7pm. While taxiing on the runway, a main gear tire slipped off the pavement had had a flat.

    The plane was towed off the runway. Flights were disrupted till about 9 pm.

    There were 137 Chinese passengers aboard. No injuries were reported.

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    Singapore Airlines Emergency Landing

    The Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Singapore Dhaka with 105 passengers and 12 crew aboard diverted to Bangkok when they got an internal flight warning. There were no injuries.

    In spite of the cargo fire suppression system, there was a burning smell and a fire.

    The plane made a safe landing in Bangkok. The plane taxied to the gate, and passengers disembarked and were provided hotel accommodations, meals and transferred to another airline.

    An investigation is underway.

    Singapore Airlines’ spokesman, Nicholas Ionides said that “Flight SQ446 operating between Singapore and Dhaka diverted to Bangkok as a result of indications of smoke from the aircraft’s rear cargo hold.”

    When Thai authorities clear the Airbus, it will be flown back to Singapore.

    In George’s Point of View


    It has been well documented that Airbus and Boeing are taking different paths regarding their approach on batteries.

    But still, it is one of my least favorite things to read (especially while I’m halfway to Singapore) that there has been yet another cargo fire at all, regardless of what kind of plane it is on.

    At least I had time to jot down some thoughts.

    I hope that the media shines as bright a light on this airbus cargo fire as it has recently on the Dreamliner battery situation. Sure, the Dreamliner is developing new technology and Boeing is responsible for going the distance to keep new developments safe. The Dreamliner battery issue is new. But the fact that Boeing is developing new technologies and new solutions does not provide Airbus and an established plane like a A330-300 a free ticket when it comes to combustion.

    Hopefully Airbus is paying attention to all problems and not getting too cocky. It should remember and respect that a plane is still an air-filled bubble hundreds of feet in the air. Until people develop their own wings, random combustion situations like cargo fires on an Airbus A330 are just as potentially hazardous situation–if not more so–than any battery incident that actually occurred on the ground.

    Let us please see a fix for this problem.

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    Kestral Hawk Crashes in Thailand, Flying Club Owner Killed


    On January 12, 2012, a privately owned Kestrel Hawk took off from Pattaya Airpark with only the pilot aboard and developed an engine fire while aloft.

    At 6:30 pm, the pilot crashed in the area of Huay Yai near the Pattaya Dolphin World and Resort.

    The ultralight was beyond repair.

    The pilot, Mr. Nawaporn ”Neil” Sawaetwong, sustained critical injuries— severe trauma to his legs and arms and a head injury— and was rushed to the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

    He was President of the Pattaya Pilot Club Association, Owner of the Pattaya Airpark & Pilot Village and C.E.O. of the Fun Flying Thai Air Service Company.

    The Thai Civil Aviation Authority is investigating.

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    Airbus Emergency Landing in Phuket

    Dec 20, 2012, 20:38; Air Berlin Airbus A330-223 was en route from Phuket to Abu Dhabi. Not long after takeoff, the plane developed engine problems. Smoke was detected in the cabin.

    Witnesses on the ground heard three “explosions” when the flight took off, and saw smoke.

    Pilots returned to Phuket where they made a hard (fast/heavy) landing that blew three tires. Of the 249 passengers and ten crew, none were injured. The passengers, mostly German, were provided a hotel, and a flight the next day.

    The plane was sprayed to cool it down and sent to be examined by maintenance.

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    British Pilot and Passenger Survive Crash in Thailand


    On Dec 17, 2012, a privately owned Diamond dA42 Twin Star crashed and flipped in a paddy in Pathum Thani, Sam Khok, Thailand. The crash was about 200 meters from a residential area.

    The two Brits, Nicholas Turner (54) and David Walls (71)who were aboard survived the crash. They were returning from a business trip.

    After impact, locals assisted the pilot and passenger out of the plane. Volunteers from Ruamkatanyu Foundation took the victims to Krung Siam St. Carlos. They were hospitalized with minor injuries.

    The Civil Aviation Department and Scientific Crime Detection Centre 1 yesterday inspected the wreckage. Asian Aerospace Services removed the wreckage to Don Mueang Airport. The flight data recorder will be analyzed. The immediate cause of the accident.

    * In various sources, the pilot was identified as Nicholas Turner, Nicholas Phillippe, Nicholas Philip Plumer, Nicholas Pumer

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    Bangkok Airways on Ground Emergency

    What: Bangkok Airways Avion de Transport Regional ATR-72-500 en route from Koh Samui to Bangkok
    Where: Koh Samui
    When: Dec 17th 2011
    Who: 38 passengers and 4 crew
    Why: While taxiing prior to takeoff, the pilot lost control, the plane struck an embankment and slid into a ditch.

    Reports say that the pilot attempted to control the plane, but it did not respond. The flight was cancelled. Passengers were provided alternative flights.

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    Crash Magnet Park in Thailand: Kaeng Krachan National Park

    What: Thai army helicopter
    Where: Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchabhuri province, Thailand
    Who: 2 pilots, 1 soldier
    Why: Three choppers went down this month in Thailand:
    A Bell 212 in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchabhuri province with 2 pilots and one soldier killed, and one injured;

    Black hawk helicopter killed 9, crashing in a rainstorm in Kaeng Krachan National Park while searching for the wreckage of the first incident;

    Huey chopper in Kaeng Krachan National Park crashed while en route to pick up 5 officials who were investigating/arresting illegal loggers.

    In George’s Point of View


    We know it was most likely weather related, but one almost wonders if the loggers–or the trees–are anti-aircraft equipped.

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    Lost: Thai Search And Rescue

    What: Thai military Black Hawk chopper
    Where: Myanmar border
    When: July 18, 2011
    Who: 9 aboard
    Why: The chopper was on a search and rescue mission looking for 5 bodies in Saturday’s chopper crash in Krachan National park.

    Those aboard the chopper were On board were Major General Tawan Ruangsri, the 9th Infantry Division chief and commander of the Surasee Task Force, Major Prapan Jiamsoongnoen, the 1st pilot, Major Chuphan Polwan, the 2nd pilot, Sargent Major Somkid Wongtoksaeng, the senior flight mechanic, Sargent Aram Wongsing, the second mechanic, Captain Jate Sudchai, Captain Chakraphan Bamrungphuet, Lance Corporal Itthisak Hinasuthi, and Sornwichai Kongtannukul, a TV Channel 5 cameraman.

    While the chopper was en route, weather turned bad, and two of the three choppers on the mission returned to base. The third chopper was reported missing. Radio contact was lost at 11:55 a m.

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    Thai Chopper Down

    What: Royal Thai Army Aviation Bell UH-1H Huey
    Where: between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi, Thailand
    When: July 16 2011
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: A chopper on a mission (air ambulance flight) to rescue civilians trapped in Kaeng Krachan National Park crashed, killing 5 army officers aboard. Visibility was poor, with heavy rain and thick fog.

    The chopper had taken off from Thap Phraya Sua Camp in Ratchaburi’s Suan Phung district.

    The soldiers lost in that crash were Maj. Kitisak Chin-iam (First pilot), Lt. Pratya Nualsri (Second Pilot), Maj. Kitiphum Ekkaphan (Deputy Commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment), Sgt. Maj. Rangsan Polsaibua and Sgt. Maj. Narongdet Pongnumkul (both Flight Mechanics).

    The crash occurred between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi in the jungle. Retrieval has been hampered by continued bad weather, but four helicopters have participated in recovery, as well as forest rangers and border patrol.

    Condition and status of the stranded civilians has not been released but they appear not to have been aboard the chopper at the time of the crash.

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    Bangkok-Another Rolls Royce/Trent Engine Fails


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rainer Bexten

    What: Qantas Boeing 747-400 en route from Bangkok (Thailand) to London Heathrow,EN
    Where: Bangkok
    When: May 20th 2011
    Who: 308 passengers
    Why: After takeoff from Bangkok, the engine vibration and temperature increased beyond the norm in one engine and the engine is reported to have salled. That (Rolls Royce) engine was shut down, and the pilots returned to Bangkik to make a safe landing with the remaining three engines. It has not yet been announced if the problem is due to the internal pipe irregularities which were indicated in an airworthiness directive just released, but with problems that go back several years.

    By the look of cursory evidence, it appears this could be the same manufacturing defect in an oil pipe, which led to an internal oil leak in the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine that failed in a Qantas A380 in 2010 causing a midair explosion, but investigators will have to reveal the details.

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    Thai Helicopter Crash Kills 5


    Pictured: A Eurocopter AS-350B-2 Ecureuil owned by Thailand – Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation (KASET)
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer M Radzi Desa

    What: Thai Eurocopter AS 350 helicopter en route from Phitsanulok province to take the officials to the inauguration of a river basin development project
    Where: remote area of jungle in Na Muen district of Nan province northern Thailand
    When: August 18 2010
    Who: 5 passengers including Permanent Secretary for natural resources and environment Saksit Tridech, inspector-general of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department and a senior adviser to the Royal Household Bureau. The pilot who worked for the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry was Major Jenwit Arunsawat. Sergeant Withoon Thienngern, who was the machinist, also aboard.
    Why: While flying over a remote jungle in stormy weather, the helicopter disappeared from radar. The search involved 350 rangers, soldiers, forestry officials, village headmen and villagers. Ground search of 17 separate search parties led by local guides and four search helicopters were utilized to find the wreckage which was located Wednesday, three kilometers from the closest settlement. The helicopter crashed into a mountainside at 1,500 meters. There was no fire.

    Wednesday, rescue teams encountered steep terrain, making the recovery of the remains difficult but the five bodies were recovered.

    Funeral services will be at Wat Phra Si Maha That in Bangkok.