QNH1013
19th Feb 2006, 12:59
MAS Plane Skids At Kuching Airport
KUCHING, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Airbus A330 skidded off the runway when preparing for take-off at the Kuching International Airport here Sunday.
Flight MH2507 was getting ready to depart for Kuala Lumpur when the aircraft's front tyre got stuck in the soil at the end of the runway while making a U-turn at 11.05 am.
None of the passengers or crew was injured in the incident.
Also on board the plane were Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah and several state executive councillors who had attended the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Retreat Programme here that concluded Sunday.
Kuching Airport Manager Abang Abdullah Abang Joss confirmed the incident but declined to give details.
Following the incident, the runway was closed until 4 pm, forcing the cancellation of two flights and the rescheduling of several others.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, after being briefed by Abang Abdullah, told reporters that about 1,000 passengers on 18 local and international flights were stranded in Kuching due to the closure of the airport.
Sixteen flights to Kuching were also affected, said Jabu, who is State Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister.
"The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is investigating the cause of the incident," he said.
Uggah commended the pilot and crew for their calm handling of the situation.
"We were told that the aircraft was waiting for the signal to depart and after 30 minutes of waiting at the end of the runway, we were told that the aircraft was having a technical problem and we got off the airplane in stages calmly," he said.
A passenger, Zuliati Sapawi, 30, said: "The aircraft was stuck at the end of the runway until 11.20 am during which time I could feel the aircraft moving forward and backward, trying to dislodge."
Ten minutes later, and after several attempts, all passengers and crew were told to disembark through the emergency doors.
-- BERNAMA. Malaysian National News Agency
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=181214
KUCHING, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Airbus A330 skidded off the runway when preparing for take-off at the Kuching International Airport here Sunday.
Flight MH2507 was getting ready to depart for Kuala Lumpur when the aircraft's front tyre got stuck in the soil at the end of the runway while making a U-turn at 11.05 am.
None of the passengers or crew was injured in the incident.
Also on board the plane were Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah and several state executive councillors who had attended the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Retreat Programme here that concluded Sunday.
Kuching Airport Manager Abang Abdullah Abang Joss confirmed the incident but declined to give details.
Following the incident, the runway was closed until 4 pm, forcing the cancellation of two flights and the rescheduling of several others.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, after being briefed by Abang Abdullah, told reporters that about 1,000 passengers on 18 local and international flights were stranded in Kuching due to the closure of the airport.
Sixteen flights to Kuching were also affected, said Jabu, who is State Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister.
"The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is investigating the cause of the incident," he said.
Uggah commended the pilot and crew for their calm handling of the situation.
"We were told that the aircraft was waiting for the signal to depart and after 30 minutes of waiting at the end of the runway, we were told that the aircraft was having a technical problem and we got off the airplane in stages calmly," he said.
A passenger, Zuliati Sapawi, 30, said: "The aircraft was stuck at the end of the runway until 11.20 am during which time I could feel the aircraft moving forward and backward, trying to dislodge."
Ten minutes later, and after several attempts, all passengers and crew were told to disembark through the emergency doors.
-- BERNAMA. Malaysian National News Agency
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=181214