Zest Airways MA60 crashlanding in Caticlan again?

[ads1963]

Is this a new incident from today or still the old one?

A MA60 crashlanded in Caticlan this morning at 0755 lcl at Caticlan airport. POB: 54, injured/killed: not abvailable, status: airport closed due to accident

[mountaintop2007]

Plane overshoots runway in Caticlan - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20090625-212339/Plane-overshoots-runway-in-Caticlan/)

second MA 60 incident in 6 months. this is bad.

[powerstall]

it's a new incident.


From ABSCBN:

ILOILO - A Zest Air (formerly Asian Spirit) plane overshot the runway at Caticlan Airport in Malay, Aklan past 7 a.m. Thursday.
The plane exceeded runway 6 of the airport, but no one was injured, officials said.
As of posting, it was not yet clear why the plane overshot the runway.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the Zest Air plane had 54 passengers, one flight mechanic, and four crew.
The Zest Air plane eventually departed Caticlan for Metro Manila later Thursday.
Meanwhile, CAAP ordered the cancellation of all flights to Caticlan airport until 6 p.m. Thursday while they are investigating the cause of the incident.
Over thirty flights will be affected by the cancellation.

as of 06/25/2009 11:41 AM

[eliptic]

Just a matter of time before that Airline will have a major accident.

The Management have a Hugh attitude and safety problem that spills over to the crew

They should rename the company to "the wild w(z)est air"

[Grimmace]

Although unconfirmed, but heard that the First Officer on that flight is the same one from the first incident. If it is true...that is pure bad luck.

One of their 320s deployed a slide in Tagbilaran upon engine shutdown. I think they eventually deflated it, put it in the cargo hold and departed for Manila that same afternoon.

[flyboylipad]

Unlucky....!!

anyone have Photos??

[Cessna1052]

Jeffrey Lim is really getting a lot from Caticlan, not very lucky with it.

[question_authority]

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/7246064/sn/36406193/name/Img_0315.jpg

and this

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/7246064/sn/2021107488/name/Img_0313.jpg

[ads1963]

Interesting article:

Zest Air MA-60 mishap prompts closure of Caticlan airport (http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/nation/12308-zest-air-ma-60-mishap-prompts-closure-of-caticlan-airport.html)

Zest Air MA-60 mishap prompts closure of Caticlan airport (http://www.pprune.org/home/nation/12308-zest-air-ma-60-mishap-prompts-closure-of-caticlan-airport.html)

HUNDREDS of passengers were stranded at the Caticlan Airport when operation was stopped because of a Zest Air plane that overshot the runway at 7:53 a.m. on Thursday.




Zest Air Flight Z2-863, a twin-engine 60-seater plane, overshot the runway while landing, then went out of the airstrip and came to rest on the grassy portion of the field.




There were no reported injuries among the passengers, comprising of 50 adults, four children and one infant. The passengers were evacuated from the plane by the responding airport rescue team and were ferried to the terminal by bus.




The plane, a Chinese-made Modern Ark (MA) 60 with registry number RP-C8892, left the Manila Domestic Airport at about 6:40 a.m., director general Ruben Ciron of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said.




Ciron ordered the immediate removal of the plane out of the runway vicinity so that operations could immediately resume.
“We don’t want to jeopardize airport operations because there are 32 to 34 flights out of Caticlan daily,” Ciron said.




He added that he had talked to Zest Air management to help expedite the clearing of the airport, since rescue crews in Caticlan are now on standby with a loader and a firetruck.




However, it was reported that Zest Air management had asked for a little more time to allow their technical men to study the aircraft configuration so as not to aggravate the damage during the removal operations.




At the same time, aircraft investigators from the Caap also had to make an assessment of the incident and the aircraft before any move to tamper with the accident scene is carried out, Ciron added.




Initial investigation showed that when he asked for landing instructions, the pilot, Capt. Bernard Hervoso, was directed to Runway 06, the “active” runway at the time. However, it was reported that Hervoso requested to use Runway 24 instead.


The request was granted, although it would mean that the airplane would be landing with a tail wind.


Investigators are now verifying eyewitnesses reports that the plane landed almost at the middle of the 1,050-meter- long runway.




Cebu Pacific (CEB) Airlines reported that its Manila-Caticlan-Manila flights 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 913 and 914 are canceled owing to the Caticlan airport’s runway’s closure.




Local air carriers have long requested the Caap that the runway be lengthened either by extending Runway 06 to the sea or removing a hill at the end of Runway 24.


However the Caap was not able to carry out the runway improvements because of political wrangling at the local level.




Caticlan is the seventh busiest airport in the Philippines and the third busiest in Western Visayas. It is also the hub of Southeast Asian Airlines serving the most destinations in and out of the neighboring Malay, Aklan.




The MA 60 twin-turbo prop plane is one of several types of aircraft flown by Zest Air. It is also known as the Xinzhou-60 and is a product of the Xian Aircraft Industry Corp. of China that costs $12.5 million.




On January 11, three passengers were injured when another MA-60 Zest Air plane crashed at the Caticlan airport.




Reports said strong winds caused the aircraft’s landing gear to explode, hitting the airport fence. After swerving 180 degrees, the plane was, with registry number RP-C8893 crashed into the airport’s passenger lounge.


Your CAAP can spend money for "bible studies" but not for aviation safety!

And the pilots of Zest Air know a "****" about landing.............all movements have to be fast so that the owner gets rich faster and the ops guys can pocked their premium for turning the aircraft fast around!

Guys in Zest Air (Pest Air) don't you understand:

YOU ARE FLYING PASSENGERS AND NOT CARGO!

[flyboylipad]

However the Caap was not able to carry out the runway improvements because of political wrangling at the local level.


Tsk tsk tsk.. when will they learn....! :=

[Inthernet]

Some ningling questions:

1. How long is the runway exactly? Different sources tell me figures ranging from 2,600ft to 3,200ft.

2. Weren't the MA-60s supposed to be payload restricted to 25 passengers? News reports say 54 on board. I've also read that PR's Q300s and 9J's ATR72s are payload restricted due to the short runway.

[twotters]

This had to happen!

I mentioned in my post http://www.pprune.org/4890968-post87.html that this aircraft is not made for Caticlan. Zest Air ist one of the most dangerous operators because the pilots lack training, the management lacks management capabilities and the pilots seem to be under incredible pressure to maintain the schedule even at the cost of safety.

I have met in Laos pilots of Lao Aviation which trained some of the Zest Air mates in the Philippines. They warned them not to use the MA60 into Caticlan. They refused to even fly there.

What happened than was that the pilots were sent back to Laos because they didn't cooperate with Zest Air management!

The buggers in Zest management seem to know nothing about the MA60 operation and think that the aircraft is an ATR or a Q Series. The aircraft has a too heavy empty weight and too weak engines.

Everybody can just be warned of flying with the MA60 in the Philippines. Use PAL or 5J when you fly in the Islands but never Zest!

[ian_harrington]

Hmmmmm, on 10th Aug I am off to Caticlan from MNL, with Zest and I think it is an MA60. I have looked going with PAL but it's a lot more. Professional opinion now please, the airline makes numerous flights to Caticlan each day and only 2 incidents on the MA60. However, I am not eanting to make it a third!

Any suggestions? Do I cut my losses and book the more expensive PAL and loose my money with Zest or give it a gamble?

Thanks

[Cessna1052]

You dont have to worry, they're getting a hang of it...

They were a bit short the first, and longer the Second, im pretty sure the third will be within the runway.

I only take risk when i have the control stick in my hand, if I am a back seater, I take an extra dollar or two. It will be very nice to be at the beach, than just the view of it.

[eliptic]

Take Cebu Pacific or Pal

I never fly Zest again after my last flight with them

[Grimmace]

Ian Harrington, why not take Cebu Pacific...they have a lot of flights as well to Caticlan and cost less than PAL I think.

[amihan]

Since you've already bought the ticket, just go ahead with it. There's always a risk whatever airline we choose. What you can do now is put your trust in the hands of the pilots and be prepared. It's not worth thinking that you'll get involved in the third incident because when it's your time, there's no way escaping it.

I hope you enjoy your boracay holiday though. It's not the best time to be there as the wind is already blowing westerly.

When your experience with Zest proves to be an unpleasant one, then don't fly with them the next time. Good luck!!!:)

[B747-800]

looks as if the juice producer is getting enough supply for his raw materials. another ma60 being converted into juice cans.

[x1alpha66]

http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/natio ... iclan.html (http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/nation/12905-boracay-tourism-suffers-as-air-carriers-pull-out-of-caticlan.html)

BORACAY TOURISM SUFFERS AS AIR CARRIERS PULL OUT OF CATICLAN

STARTING Thursday, major carriers are expected to discontinue flights to Caticlan, the gateway to the resort island of Boracay, in anticipation of a government order aimed at implementing a long-ignored rule on a one-takeoff and one-landing procedure.

Sources who attended a hearing between airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Wednesday said the new order will virtually leave only one carrier, Southeast Asian Airlines, plying the route.

Francisco Yngente, vice president for airport services of Philippine Airlines (PAL), confirmed to the BusinessMirror that the carrier would be flying all Caticlan-bound passengers to Kalibo instead, the capital of Aklan.

“Yes, it’s true we’re no longer flying to Caticlan starting [today]. The CAAP shortened the useable runway, so we’re shifting all our flights to Caticlan to Kalibo until further notice.” PAL, in the meantime, will shoulder the land-transfer expense of passengers who had booked Caticlan flights. Sources said Cebu Pacific was reducing flights to Caticlan to only two daily. Since June 25, it has already rerouted 10 of its 12 daily flights to Kalibo, aside from its regular two to three Manila-Kalibo flights a day using Airbus A320s. The flights to Caticlan are via the 72-seater ATR turboprop 72-500.

As for Zest Air, all its Caticlan flights have been diverted to Kalibo since June 25 as well, according to a source in the airline.

Previously, PAL had been flying its newly acquired 50-seater Bombardier turboprops to Caticlan seven to eight times a day from Manila, plus one flight a day from Cebu. It also flies twice daily from Manila to Kalibo using a 150-seater Airbus A320s.

He added that “this is so sudden, we were caught off-guard. But our pilots had a meeting with CAAP [yesterday] and they were already formally advised of the ruling.”

Sources at the CAAP meeting told the BusinessMirror the government agency began meeting with air carriers after a Zest Airplane overshot the Caticlan runway on June 25, the second accident using its Chinese-made MA60 planes in six months. The first accident in January was an undershooting of the runway, and resulted in injuries to passengers.

“The problem is really the size of the planes that are being used,” said one source who requested anonymity. Most planes are too big to navigate the very short runway in Caticlan. Under the CAAP order, all planes can only take off and land from the sea. At present, most carriers land toward or take off from the mountainside.

Asked for a reaction, Avelino Zapanta, president of Seair, said the airline was not affected by the CAAP ruling. Given the size of its planes, pilots can fly or take off coming from the sea. “We will continue flying to Caticlan,” he said.

Asked whether they weren’t being unduly penalized because of the mishap that happened to Zest Air, Yngente said, “As long as it’s for the safety of the passengers, I suppose CAAP is correct in implementing the ruling.”

Other airline sources said CAAP presented its findings that despite “corrective measures” on the part of pilots navigating the short runway of Caticlan, and given the present layout of the land which includes a mountain, plus the tailwinds and headwinds factors, “the planes will be left with only about 250 meters on the runway, which is too short” for the larger planes.

One source explained that CAAP is cracking down on violators of the airline industry publication (AIP) due to “criticisms that it was not enforcing regulations, and that we are still under Category 2 by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration].” The Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Air Transportation Office (ATO), forerunner of the CAAP, was downgraded by FAA from Category 1 status, denoting its safety for international airlines, to Category 2 two years ago due to the ATO’s lax regulatory measures and lack of adequate personnel.

Yngente said PAL doesn’t have plans at the moment to buy new or smaller planes to keep flying to Caticlan. “Our recommendation to CAAP is actually to level off the mountain at the end of the runway, and on the other end, extend the runway.” Plans to extend and expand the Caticlan runway had been proposed since 2000, but no funds have been raised by the government nor the private sector to undertake it.

[ecureilx]

Reports said strong winds caused the aircraft’s landing gear to explode, hitting the airport fence. After swerving 180 degrees, the plane was, with registry number RP-C8893 crashed into the airport’s passenger lounge.
pray, can somebody enlighten me how the landing gear explodes because of strong winds ????

[ecureilx]

I was told Zeste plans to start to Basco, with the MA 60 :mad: :mad:

Wonder if they will ask for the Big mountain at the end of the runway removed, or the town of Basco demolished ... :ugh::ugh: