MAS plane skids off the runway at Kuching Airport
KUCHING, Sun: A MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) Airbus A330 skidded when it was preparing to take off from the Kuching International Airport today.
In the 11.15am incident, the Kuala Lumpur-bound flight MH2507 aircraft’s front wheel was stuck in the soil at the end of the runway while making a U-turn.
The incident caused the runway to be closed for a few hours and several flights to be rescheduled
I got word of it from a realible source when they closed KIA for a few hours, affecting flights even 10 hrs later! Some MAS pilot we have!
A quick run on google news shows 3 items, from Bernama and Malaysiakini. Have a look at the Bernama report, time stamped 19 Feb 2006 at 7.53pm!
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
And of course, the independent pro-opposition press has to say something.......
Ground-level problems with MAS pilots
SAM
Feb 20, 06 5:22pm
As I sit at my desk today, (Sunday, Feb 19) reading one of your letters about the efficiency and accountability of Proton and MAS, I can clearly see the MAS’ Airbus for the 11.05am flight from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur stuck at the end of the runway of Kuching Airport where it has been for the past three hours or so.
It is surrounded by lots of people scratching their heads and with a crane and tractor rather carefully (I hope) trying to dig the nose wheel of the aircraft out of the mud.
What has clearly happened is that whilst the aircraft was taxiing and turning at the end of the runway prior to takeoff, the pilot misjudged the situation and ran off the tarmac runway and onto the soft apron at the end. Not unexpectedly, the nose wheel has sunk and the aircraft is now firmly stuck and the airport has been closed with no takeoffs or landings for the past three or more hours.
This is clearly an embarrassment for the pilot and of course for MAS. But there is a bit more to it than that. We have the right to ask whether MAS is properly exercising its duty of care to the public if it allows its pilots to be so lax and incompetent that they can't even drive the aircraft properly on the ground in just a two dimensional situation?
What happens when 'up and down' is added to the equation in addition to 'forward and back' and 'left and right'?
I feel sad for the pilot who was clearly thinking of something else at the time (maybe he missed his morning laksa). But on a more serious note, can MAS assure all citizens that this particular pilot and co-pilot will be suspended indefinitely and sent for a refresher courses on simulators etc?
They should not be allowed to fly again with real passengers on board until they have satisfied the most stringent standards with respect to all aircraft operations - taxiing as well as flying!
What have they done with my beloved KIA? Sheesh, I know MAS has financial difficulties, but surely a pilot is above all the political junk bickering?
Well, looks like Ting Pek King has more ammuniation to push for the upgrade of KIA: "our runway is not long enough!" I dunno, we had 747's in KIA with no muddy problems........
I'm still tired, but I had to blog about this!
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