Zest Air plane UNDERshoots Caticlan runway; passengers hurt

[Mon]

Pictures courtesy of Mr. Joegil M. Escobar, Branch Manager - PAL Express Caticlan (MPH) Station:

zestmph01.JPG (59.86 KiB) Viewed 4819 times

zestmph02.JPG (67.26 KiB) Viewed 4745 times

zestmph03.JPG (67.78 KiB) Viewed 4692 times

zestmph04.JPG (71.37 KiB) Viewed 5247 times

Gosh, it DID reach the passenger lounge.

[hustlerGT]

ruined the garden landscape.. tsk tsk tsk..

[boom_box]

looks like the engine is still running in that pic..?

this new bird didn't even last for a year to operate..

[pancreas]

Pictures courtesy of Mr. Joegil M. Escobar, Branch Manager - PAL Express

"Revenge is Mine!"

[windwalker]

These guys really touch down short. Is the runway length that much of a factor?

It is if you do it wrong.

I did the first "probing" flight into Caticlan with an ATR 72 borrowed from Air Bangkok. We flew a "book" profile: 3 degrees glidepath, proper landing config, proper speed. Passed the threshold at 50 feet and touched down shortly thereafter. We reached taxi speed a bit past 3/4ths of the runway. This was long before Cebu Pac even considered buying the ATR 72. I posted flight deck pics here in the forum. Not bad, considering the ATR 72 is a large airplane (the largest one flying in and out of Catclan). Cebu Pac was confident enough about the outcome of the landing to allow Lance Gokongwei and a few of the board of directors to be onboard that probing flight. Was I worried? No, because we did the math (aircraft performance computations) prior to the flight. The only thing that remained was to "fly it properly" - by the book. Prior to that, I flew to Caticlan countless times in a Dornier DO-228.

What is the Philosophy behind creating "Standard Operating Procedures"?

Simple. Under normal conditions (nothing wrong with the airplane), if you adhere to the "SOP", you will arrive in your destination safely - nothing bad will happen to you. SOP's are not designed to bring you close to trouble.

Stray away from SOP unnecessarilly - things start to get interesting.

In Caticlan, there is a very strong urge for all pilots to think that they will run out of runway. Intuition versus fact - its a tough choice for most pilots.

[Kevin]

looks like the engine is still running in that pic..?

this new bird didn't even last for a year to operate..

Try two months! Even less, in revenue service.

A passenger said they were already on their second approach when the accident happened. The winds were indeed blowing yesterday morning. If it felt strong in Cebu, I can only imagine how much worse it must have been in Caticlan, especially with that windshear-making hill at the departure end of Rwy 06. Note how fronds on coconut trees in the background are bent back in this photo.



It must be good sport for a lot of pilots to touch down on the numbers or the piano keys. I've seen Let 410s touch down on 06 and make the first turnoff. That means they're down and stopped in less than a thousand feet of runway. These pilots save a couple of minutes' taxi time and hence a few pounds of fuel, but they obviously don't pay for the brake pads--or the plane when they try too hard.

Of course, let's remember it's always better to go off the runway at 10 knots than land short at 100.

[tapclassic]

The MA60 is a Chinese knockoff (pirated version) of the Russian An-26.

I suppose you men gold-weight paid right to produce, like the ARJ21 and the jet-fighters copied from old russian Migs (themselves somewhat copied from western designs)

[Hans Christian M. Ben]

yikes... aray ko po...

This really sucks for Zest-O since the airplane is just new from them...

well, ATO didn't ground the airplane though, since it was just fine for flying... The other MA 60s were still flying... (I just saw one took of from RWY 13 this morning)

[rgenius]

it looks a write-off. to be salvaged and converted as aluminum cans for zest-o.

[Tonet]

These guys really touch down short. Is the runway length that much of a factor?

It is if you do it wrong.

That's why my question was tongue in cheek. If they have to land right on the lip or edge of the runway, then either the airport is unsafe or they are doing it wrong. And there is nothing wrong with that airport.




When these pictures were posted, did anyone feel nervous? Were we all so awed of these gung-ho approaches that we didn't feel a twinge of nervousness?






Look at the difference in height between the Asian Spirit pilot's approach and the Cebu Pacific pilot's approach.









On December 22, Meynard and I flew aerobatics inside a confined "aerobatic box".

Competition aerobatics are flown inside an aerobatic box -- defined by altitude, lateral and longtitudinal limits. If the pilot leaves the box during the routine, he gets an immediate "Zero" score for that flight. Kalabasa.

Airshow aerobatics are also flown in a box. If you listen to 118.70 during the Balloon Fiesta, you will hear Meynard and Bill talking to each other during their aerobatic flights, and they will say something like,

"Crossing the show line, your box now!"

"Roger, my box!"



Meynard briefed me for nearly 3 hours for that Dec 22 flight. Every manuever, every entry and exit, was planned exactly -- entry speed, hard deck, entry altitude, exit altitude, botched maneuver escape plan.

Three hours.












You see 1:60 computations there, entry speeds, etc.




When we actually flew there, we verified our "box's" dimensions by timing a leg subtending an arc across the angle between two radials from the Manila VOR. Then we re-timed it using by using DME off the Manila VOR.

Then we flew the maneuvers outside the box. To verify we would not hit or bust the sides or hard deck of the box. And to verify aircraft perfromance is exactly as predicted. No control cable slack or unplanned drag.

Then I did it.

So 3 hours of ground prep, 30 minutes of airborne practice, all for a 90-second aerobatic routine.




Then I did the routine again over Tanauan, at airshow altitudes. We planned to pull out of the vertical maneuvers at least 500 feet AGL (Meynard has a permanent low-altitude waiver).

I did Chandelles (an altitude-gaining maneuver), Lazy Eights and Half Cuban Eights. No vertical down-lines.

By the time we were done there was a crowd on the grass runway.

I waggled my wings after the last low pass.

All our aerobatic flights are like that. Hours of preparation. Then hours of debrief. Most of the learnings come from the debrief. Zero risk. Precision exercise, not stunt flying.






I wonder if the passengers on these Caticlan flights know that sometimes their pilots think they are in a spot-landing contest. On a one-way-in-one-way-out runway.




.

[ASIA]

They usually paint it over after an accident / incident to protect the company's image although who wouldn't recognize an airline's basic colour scheme? Did you notice the company's URL on the engine was painted over as well?

CAL/CI China Airlines do the same (cover CIS) when their B738 got burn out in Okinawa:

http://www.asia-image.com/modules.php?n ... pos=-14589

[Arcebee]

it looks a write-off. to be salvaged and converted as aluminum cans for zest-o.

Headlines 6 months from now...."People Rushed to Hospital after Drinking Zest-o. Lead Poisoning Suspected".

[windwalker]

looks like the engine is still running in that pic..?

Yes, it is running. I'm told by an A+ mechanic (who handles Zest Air maintenance), it was left running for 15 minutes or so. Injured (and/or panicked) pilots, who knows? The propeller sheared off on impact.

Good comparison between the ATR and Dash 7 approach. More so since the Dash 7 is a "Short Takeoff and Landing" (STOL) designed aircraft, while the ATR 72 is not.

[Inaki]

There's no mention of the pilot's names in any of the news articles...hmmm...

[WasteGate]

Passenger plane misses runway landing
The Philippine Star
By Rudy Santos Updated January 12, 2009 12:00 AM

A small passenger plane serving the island of Boracay missed the runway on landing yesterday, leaving at least two passengers seriously injured, officials said.

Hospitals in the town of Malay and nearby Kalibo City treated the Zest Airways plane’s 21 passengers and five crew for various injuries after the plane made the hard landing and smashed into a concrete wall.

Two of the passengers had sustained serious fractures and cuts and the rest were treated for minor injuries and discharged.

Five foreigners were among those injured as reported by a local radio broadcaster.

They were identified as James Peter Tauerman, a doctor from Germany, fellow German national Bernd Doehler, Canadian Mark Samson and Korean nationals Jun Tin Sun and Koi Dong Dyu.

Forty-year-old Rowena Versoza of Quezon City and 29-year-old Evelyn Ranoa of Sta. Mesa, Manila were also reported among the injured.

Two others on the ground were injured, including a security guard who was hit in the mouth by debris.

The Chinese-made MA60 turboprop was flying in holidaymakers from Manila on their way to the nearby island resort of Boracay, airport officials said.

Flight RIT 865 left Manila at 6:01 a.m. for Caticlan piloted by Vicente Gazo Jr. and co-pilot Jeffrey Lim.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director general Ruben Ciron said the 56-seater MA60 plane failed to land on its first attempt due to strong winds.

The cause of the crash, which forced the closure of the airport said to be the country’s second busiest after Manila, was not immediately known.

A Canadian passenger who asked not to be named said the pilot apparently misjudged the landing due to heavy winds.

The plane landed on the grass well short of the runway. Its left wing ploughed into a ditch, preventing the plane from hitting the airport terminal, witnesses said.

The plane instead smashed into an airport wall, narrowly missing the airport restaurant, an AFP photographer on the scene said.

At 12:15 p.m. yesterday, Ciron reported that the Caticlan Airport was opened for normal operations. SEAIR, on the other hand, has shifted all its nine flights to Kalibo starting Sunday.

Eyewitnesses who arrived at the Manila Domestic Airport from Kalibo said the plane was a total wreck.

The CAAP has dispatched an investigation team yesterday morning, headed by Hilary Cabugon, to look into the accident.

The MA60 is a twin-engine, short and medium haul transport aircraft, designed for multi-role commuter operations. It was not certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

It has a capacity of between 50 to 60 passengers.

There is an average of 80 flights a day landing at Caticlan, peaking to about 120 flights during the summer months. – With Ronilo Pamonag, AP

[Tonet]

On Jan 2 Oshti and I flew touch and gos at Omni in winds of 21 knots, 50 degrees offset from the runway.

That's more than 11 knots of crosswind component. And an 11-knot headwind.




We reminded ourselves that we would need to keep some power on during short final and the flare.

Because the wind could suddenly die (if a gust can come, a gust can also go away).

If the wind suddenly dies, even for a few seconds, all of a sudden you go from an airspeed of, say, 55 knots in the approach to an airspeed of 44 knots when the 11-knot wind goes away.

We both flew a greaser landing each Then I did a 180-side power off, I think (have to check my log now if I did that with Osh or with Arnel). That was fun.




I used to be terrified of strong winds. I still sit up straight when the windsock is blowing hard. Even a big turboprop like the Zest MA60, as we now see, has to respect the wind.



I remember chatting with Art Advincula, Zest Air's head of operations, at the Delta Hangar. He and Meynard rib each other to death -- non-stop kantiawan. I like his outlook in life. I hope he is dealing with this with good cheer.


.

[Paolo Lao]

Jeeezzz... I don't know what to say I love that aircraft, sayang naman.

[iyoy]

What happened to the AZ logo? Wiped-out upon impact?

This is a good reason to fly Zest Air to Caticlan: the only airline service with airbridge/ tube facilites at their very own private terminal at Caticlan airport.

[Mathias]

looks like the engine is still running in that pic..?

Yes, it is running. I'm told by an A+ mechanic (who handles Zest Air maintenance), it was left running for 15 minutes or so. Injured (and/or panicked) pilots, who knows? The propeller sheared off on impact. ...

Hmmm, with this mushed cockpit I would be rather surprised if a few electric wires had NOT been ruptured, such as the wire connecting the fuel shutoff valve of the port engine WITH said port engine. If the answer to this at least somewhat educated guess should be "yes", the next question would arrise: How to shut off a renegade engine that is so mechanically oriented that it will run without any electrcial help whatsoever, as long as it gets it's fuel and air and the combustion chambers remain hot enough?
A pure-blooded firefighter should immediately raise his/her hand and recite:
"Take away one of these three ingredients of a fire and it will die!"

Windy, would that A+ mechanic you quoted have some words of wisdom on this? Sorry, just my engineering mind at work again

[pancreas]

How to shut off a renegade engine that is so mechanically oriented that it will run without any electrical help whatsoever, as long as it gets it's fuel and air and the combustion chambers remain hot enough?

What if the firefighters flooded the intake with foam or water? They can get near it anyway since the propellers are gone.