Thai Airways International Flight 261

Thai Airways International Flight 261

A Thai Airways International Airbus A310 similar to the one involved in Flight 261
Accident
Date	11 December 1998 (1998-12-11)
Summary	spatial disorientation caused by inclement weather leading to pilot error followed by stall
Site	0.7 km S of Surat Thani International Airport (URT) (Thailand)
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Airbus A310-204
Aircraft name	Phitsanulok
Operator	Thai Airways International
IATA flight No.	TG261
ICAO flight No.	THA261
Call sign	THAI 261
Registration	HS-TIA
Flight origin	Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)
Destination	Surat Thani International Airport (URT)
Occupants	146
Passengers	132
Crew	14
Fatalities	101
Injuries	45
Survivors	45

Thai Airways International Flight 261 (TG261/THA261) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand to Surat Thani International Airport in Surat Thani, Thailand. The flight was operated by Thai Airways International, the flag carrier of Thailand. On 11 December 1998, the aircraft, an Airbus A310-204 registered in Thailand as HS-TIA, stalled and crashed in a rice paddy on its landing attempt at Surat Thani Airport. A total of 101 people were killed in the crash.

Thailand's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC) opened an investigation into the accident. The investigation revealed that the crew had become disoriented. Visibility was limited. Stress caused the crew to lose control of the aircraft. The AAIC noted also Surat Thani's minimal lighting and faulty warnings to the aircraft.

Aircraft

HS-TIA was an Airbus A310-204, c/n 415, previously registered as F-WWBI for flight testing with Airbus. Given the name Phitsanulok, HS-TIA was first flown on 3 March 1986 and delivered to Thai Airways at Don Mueang on 29 April 1986.

Nationalities

There were 25 foreigners on board the flight including nationalities from Austria, Australia, Britain, Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the United States. Among the survivors were three Australians, three Japanese, three Germans, two Israelis and one Briton.

Accident

Flight TG261 from Bangkok to Suratthani and departed at 17:40 local time from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. On board were 14 crew members and 132 passengers, (including the 25 foreigners) The estimated flight time was one hour and 55 minutes.

Weather conditions were rainy at the time of the crash and the crew was unable to see the runway. At 19:05, the aircraft was attempting to land on runway 22 for the third time following two aborted landings. The captain ordered another go-around attempt and when the pitch attitude reached approximately 48 degrees the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall, began to lose altitude and crashed into the ground, bursting into flames. 101 of the 146 passengers and crew died at the scene. 45 were rushed to hospital.

Investigation

Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, sent a team of specialists to assist Thai authorities in the crash investigation. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were found by the search and rescue team and were taken from the crash site for further investigation. Investigators stated that bad weather was the probable cause of the accident, without ruling out pilot error. There was a project to extend the runway at Surat Thani Airport, however the project was delayed due to an economic downturn. A Thai air force pilot stated that due to the removal of the Instrument landing system (ILS), pilots had to use a radio navigation system which was less accurate.

Thai Airways Airbus A330 incident

Airbus A330-321 registered as HS-TEF

On Sunday, 8 September 2013, a Thai Airways International Airbus A330-321 was operating as flight TG679 from Guangzhou, China, to Bangkok. At 23:26 local time the plane landed on the runway 19L at Suvarnabhumi Airport, but then due to damage to the right landing gear, the right engine fell onto the runway. The aircraft made a right turn off the runway.

There was a panic among the passengers, as everyone was afraid that the plane would now explode. The unruly crowd ran to the emergency exits. The flight attendants could not calm the passengers down, and in the resulting crush several people were injured. But here, according to the testimony of several passengers, at the height of the panic, a flight attendant appeared, wearing a traditional Thai costume. This flight attendant instructed passengers to calm down, which they complied. An evacuation was initiated and all 302 people on board evacuated safety. After the evacuation, passengers tried to find the stewardess, but could not. At the testimony of the passengers, the airline responded that at the time of the incident, all the flight attendants were wearing flight uniforms, which is confirmed by the records of the video cameras of the airport and rescue services. In the media even separate opinions that the passengers saw the ghost of one of the flight attendants who died in the crash of Flight 261 in 1998 were widely publicized. However, this theory did not satisfy the investigators.

References

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