[nambo07]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/1...ref=mpstoryview

(CNN) -- A passenger jet crashed Sunday at the Phuket airport in southern Thailand shortly after landing, killing 87 of the 130 people on board, according to health ministry officials. The aircraft operated by Thai budget carrier One-Two-GO crashed shortly after landing in heavy winds and strong rains in the resort town of Phuket. The aircraft burst into flames shortly after impact, an eyewitness said.

A spokesman for the airline said Flight 269 left Bangkok at approximately 2:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. ET) local time and was scheduled to land in Phuket at approximately 3:50 p.m. (4:50 a.m. ET)

He said the plane was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew members. Many of the 43 survivors were foreigners from Britain, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Iran.

The island of Phuket is a popular resort destination for international and local tourists.

The passenger jet skidded off the runway during a landing attempt amid heavy rain and strong crosswinds, according to Thai News Agency (TNA).

Witness William Harding saw the plane land, then crash into a nearby hillside.Video Watch images from scene of crash. »

"The inside was totally on fire and about five minutes of burning, there was a small explosion that blew off the top of the plane," he said.

Harding said he was a passenger on another One-Two-GO airliner that landed in Phuket five minutes before the plane crash.

He said the weather was bad, with strong winds and rain. was the roughest landing I've ever experienced," he said. "I've never been through anything like that."

Harding said the plane "knocked up against a hill."

Video showed dozens of ambulances and fire trucks on the scene, which was enveloped in black smoke.

"The jet was crashed ... into a hill that's the side of a runway," Harding said. "It looked basically intact. The wing was still attached to the fuselage. The tail was down. But the inside of the plane was totally ablaze."

Two hospital treating survivors detailed their nationalities as: Australian: 1, Austrian: 1, British: 8, Dutch:1, German: 4, Iranian: 3, Irish: 3, Italian: 1, Swedish: 2, Thai: 14. All flights from Phuket International Airport were canceled following the crash, which TNA reported caused "confusion and anger among travelers concerned to make connections to other destinations and to know when operations will resume."

Phuket International Airport is the second-busiest airport in Thailand, according to the airport's Web site. The airport is about 20 miles (32 km) from downtown Phuket.

TNA reported the aircraft that crashed was a U.S.-made McDonnell-Douglas 80. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration usually deploy investigators to crash sites involving U.S.-made aircraft.

Both agencies are waiting for a request from the Thai government before sending investigation teams, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said.
*CREDIT TO CNN.COM*

[pam]

That is very sad to hear, tragic news!! Condolences to the passn=engers and their family.

[Sunny]

omg that reminds me of my horrible flight in Thailand from Krabi to BKK, the roughest flight I've ever been through, and it was raining and windly too, my goodness at the moment when the plane falls from the clouds I almost thought my life was over, i held onto my sister's hand so tight, everyone was so pale, I could not have picture it, it must have been a tragic for those on the plane, wish them rest in peace and I know its sudden but hopefully all the souls find their way out, Phuket must have alot of spirits wondering, all from shock deaths, like the waves last two years too.


It was One-Two-GO airline that crushed, I never went on it, only Nok Air and Thai Air Asia.

[noiki]

yeah i was watching the news on ch7 for this, it's very tragic. the officials said they had to take the black box to the U.S. to find out what happened.

[Mai]

wow how devastating, such a tradgedy, even for those alive condolences to all of them and their family

after reading this, makes me not want to fly anymore

[pam]

don't they have a weather forecast to tell if there's bad weather at a certain point so it'll be a delay??

[jackielee]

This sound terrible.. I never been on a plane ride before, gosh I'm afraid to go now..

May them all RIP and condolences to them and their families...

[NanS]

this is so sad... may they RIP. what's up with the weather system.

[Cee]

the plane supposedly splitted into two. i read from various sources but they all have different information on what happened, hopefully they'll establish the source of the cause soon. gosh what a tragedy.

[linstah]

aww what tragic news! Hope that all the families of those who loss members are ok now!
R.I.P plane victims.

[Sunny]

aww wow I just hear that there was this one pretty airhost who was only doing her training for 3 months and she died in the crash, her dad was waiting to pick her up from work there too but instead he had to take her body home to their family and do her a funeral, so sad she just recently finished her degree too

[AnNiE]

this is just really tragic... omg...it must've been so horrible for those people on the plane...i can't even imagine what it must of been like...i'm getting chills just thinking about it... i don't trust riding in jet planes and small planes, etc... i always hear about those types of planes having accidents and such...

[Woranuch_KaoZ]

Aw dude, so SAD. That freeking sucks, especially to the family's decease, and most of them were tourists too. Coming on vacation, no one ever would have thought became the death of many.

[rissaya]

Yes, this is very sad!

About two to three weeks ago, when the airplane was about to land, but the bad weather almost made another airline crash as well, however the pilot was able to maneuver it. It was like couple inches off the runaway then strong wind blew it off the concourse. It was one of the shakiest flight because the wing slammed on the runaway and it was rocking back and forth. The passengers are safe.