Saab 340 hits a block
35 pax on Saab 340 in aircraft in Tonga? Am I missing something? Standard weights?
Passengers on board a Lulutai Airlines Saab 340 aircraft were unharmed when the plane slid off the runway at Tonga’s Fua’amotu Airport on Friday, the airline says.
“At approximately 2pm (local time), after landing safely at Fua’amotu domestic airport, and while on the apron taxing back to the terminal, upon turning, the Saab 340 experienced a technical issue,” Lulutai Airlines said in a statement.
“The aircraft turned and hit a cement block on the side of the apron. The aircraft’s wing became lodged on the cement block.”
“The aircraft landed safely at Fua’amotu, and the incident occurred while taxing on the apron. There were 35 passengers on board. No passengers were injured or physically harmed.”
A passenger told Matangi Tonga the Lulutai flight had reached Vava’u, and an announcement was made that they were landing.
“All of a sudden the plane changes direction and all we were seeing was the ocean,” the passenger said, according Matangi Tonga’s report.
“The pilot then announced that we were returning to Fua’amotu Airport because there was a ‘technical issue’ with the plane.
“I asked the air hostess, and she said it was a problem with the hydraulic,” the passenger said