Crash in Laos
 

Thailand TV station reporting 39 killed in plane crash ... No more info as yet.

Thailand TV station reporting plane crash in Laos. Sorry for confusion.

It was Laos. It was a turbo prop where sadly 39 were killed, which im assuming was everyone.

Plane crashes in Laos, 39 people killed: Thai TV | Reuters

Local rag near me reporting it....Flight Inside Laos Crashes into Mekong River: 39 Dead - Phuket Wan

Although the texts say ATR, the photographs definitely show an Antonov 24 (or, more probably, the Chinese Xi´an Y-7 derivative thereof).

Lao Air operate the Xian MA-60.

Reuters
 

A Lao Airlines plane crashed into the Mekong river in southern Laos on Wednesday, according to an airline official, in an accident Thai television channels said killed 39 people.

A Lao Airlines official said the plane had crashed at about 4 p.m. (0900) near Pakse, Champasak province, which is on the borders of both Thailand and Cambodia.

Thai television showed a photograph of the ATR 72 turboprop plane partly submerged in shallow water on a stretch of the Mekong, the tail severed. Another television channel showed what appeared to be several bodies on the bank of the river.

"We do not yet know the number of casualties, our executives are currently in a meeting and will provide more details in the morning," the airline official said by telephone.

Thai media said 39 people were killed, among them two Thai nationals. It did not give the source of the information.

Lao Airlines is the national carrier of the communist state and has operated since 1976. Its aircraft carried 658,000 passengers last year and it has a fleet of just 14 planes, mostly propeller-driven.

It operates on seven domestic routes and has international flights to China, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

BBC now reporting 44 lost.

Reports seem confused:

Registration RDPL-34233 according to FR24 (subject to confirmation).

Passenger list released at 14.00Z.A total of 27 foreigners out of a total POB of 44.

JACDEC says ATR72-600, not MA60. Although initially one would definitely suspect an MA60 as part the story, since this type has some of the worst safety records in aviation and no western country wants to approve it (except MOL, if he had a chance!)

From Reuters:

"Thai television showed a photograph of the ATR 72 turboprop plane partly submerged in shallow water on a stretch of the Mekong, the tail severed. Another television channel showed what appeared to be several bodies on the bank of the river."

Sad day. Aviation in Asia is expanding at such a fast pace, keeping up with it generates a lot more risky environment, be it pilot training, systems update, and experience.

If it is indeed a -600, then we're talking about a brand new airframe.

Just over six months old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_Airlines_Flight_301

Yes, delivered at the beginning of April this year.

That is unprofesional and unfair comment which sounds like a political biased insane judge toward MA-60 even though you got know that it is ATR-600!

Fair point. At this stage we don't know whether technical issues, or indeed anything to do with the specific aircraft type, were implicated in the accident..

As for the wider issue of the MA-60's safety, it's worth bearing in mind what the NZ government has said on the subject, in advice to travellers to Tonga:

"Tonga’s domestic airline fleet currently includes an MA-60 aircraft. This aircraft has been involved in a significant number of accidents in the last few years. The MA-60 is not certified to fly in New Zealand or other comparable jurisdictions and would not be allowed to do so without a thorough certification process under Civil Aviation rules. Travellers utilising the MA-60 do so at their own risk."

NZ government travel advisory - Tonga

Cleared Visual with respect - as you've been a Ppruner since 2007, you should know, as I do, that as soon as any concrete and substantiated information is available, it is posted. There quite clearly is no such information so far.

Worst safety records in aviation? Where did you get that from, or is that from your own self-appointed expert assessment? The MA60 has only been involved in one major fatal accident and that was due to pilot error. And you'll find that most of the other major incidents can also be attributed to pilot error.

It's ironical that an advanced turbo-prop such as the ATR72-600 is the type that crashes here, but yet you're blaming the MA60 for it. Where's the logic in that? :rolleyes:

Bit of reality needed here.
The aircraft was 6 months old so no major maintenance issues.
I live in Thailand where we are experiencing the aftermath of a major weather system the same system being a contributing factor to this accident in Laos. At times here (and we are several hundred miles from the crash site) the rain has been so heavy that road traffic has been slowed to a crawl because you simply cannot see any distance in front of you.
There is only one question to ask. Was it prudent to continue the approach in such severe weather conditions?