Orient Thai is not alone with incidents in the recent past. This reborn airline called Phuket Air has had it's share of safety issues as well. However, Phuket Air seems to have an in with the Thai DCA as it tends to look the other way and ignore all of Phuket Air's troubles.
Phuket Air had a recent incident where one of their 747-300's registration HS-VAN flew thru a thunderstorm at 37,000 feet with a full load of passengers. Reports from the cabin crew and passengers were of total terror
as the aircraft went into this storm at night in Indonesian airspace. There was +/- 2,000 feet in altitude deviations with the thrust at max and airspeed down to the stick shaker, they almost stalled it. This particular flight was operated by an Italian crew, ex Ocean Air which migrated to Phuket Air. The WX radar, both systems, had been inop for more than 3 weeks.
This incident came after 2 other incidents of altitude busts, one in Saudi Airspace, and another over the Indian ocean with Indonesian Pilots at the helm. Before that 2 back to back departues out of Jeddah with Engine Fire warnings, dumped fuel and returned to Jeddah. They refueled and took off with a different crew and had yet again another engine fire warning, dumped fuel and returned.
Then the recent evacuation in Madinah with a cargo fire warning, see this link in the news
http://www.etravelblackboard.com/ind...id=73065&nav=2
was yet another incident amongst numerous others that are unreported.
How long can the Thai DCA allow this to continue ? Let alone the Saudi PCA.
