Air Niugini plane lands in lagoon by airport in Micronesia

Updated

Papua New Guinea authorities have confirmed that an Air Niugini plane has missed the runway in Micronesia and ended up in the ocean.

Key points: Air Niugini plane landed in the ocean off the island of Weno

A first responder told ABC there were 36 passengers and 11 crew on board

The plane has previously been involved in an accident last year

The PNG Accident Investigation Commission is preparing a team to travel to the site of the accident off the island of Weno.

Chuuk airport manager Jimmy Emilio told Pacific Daily News the plane crashed into the lagoon about 9:30am local time, ending up 160 metres from the runway.

First responder Dr James Yaingeluo told the ABC 36 passengers and 11 crew were on board, with no casualties.

While Air Niugini originally said they had accounted for all 47, they said on Saturday that one man is still missing.

Air Niugini said in a statement that it was working with local authorities, hospitals and investigators to try to find the man

They did not offer details about his age of nationality.

Dr Yaingeluo said initially there were nine people taken to hospital, including one who was seriously injured.

"There was a little bit [of] chaos at first because everybody was really panicked and tried to get out of the plane … other than that we were doing as much as we can. Luckily there are no casualties," Mr Yaingeluo said.

"As soon as the plane was in the water the civilians were right there and tried to help, and it made our job easier and much faster so I think we should … always thank the civilians for all the help they did."

Dominic Kaumu, General Manager Commercial at Air Niugini, told the ABC four people were in hospital.

"[The] rest are being put into hotels awaiting a rescue flight from [Port Moresby] which we [will be] sending shortly," he said.

Flight PX073 was coming in from Pohnpei in Micronesia and was scheduled to continue its journey through to Port Moresby, the capital of PNG.

PX073 is serviced by a Boeing 737-800 series aircraft.

Videos posted to social media show small boats helping people to safety.

The plane is listed on the Aviation Safety Network website as having been involved in an incident at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby in May of this year, when the wing of a Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft impacted the plane's right winglet, causing "significant damage" to both aircraft.

It is still unclear what caused the crash.

Air Niugini is PNG's leading airline, servicing both national and international destinations.

Chuuk airport is diverting incoming flights to Pohnpei.

Topics: air-and-space, micronesia-federated-states-of, papua-new-guinea, pacific

First posted</s>SYDNEY (Reuters) - A flotilla of small boats rescued all 47 passengers and crew from an Air Niugini flight that crashed into the sea short of the runway at an airport in the tiny South Pacific nation of Micronesia on Friday, the airport’s manager said.

“It was supposed to land but instead of landing it was 150 yards short and she went down,” Jimmy Emilio, general manager of Chuuk Airport at Weno in Micronesia, told Reuters by phone.

“We don’t really know what happened ... people were rescued by boats - 36 passengers and 11 crew were all rescued, only the plane is sinking right now,” he said.

The Boeing 737 aircraft hit the lagoon surrounding the small island about 9.30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Thursday), Emilio said. The passengers and crew were taken to hospital but no serious injuries were reported.

Video published online by Radio New Zealand and pictures posted on Twitter showed the half-submerged aircraft surrounded by small speedboats.

Air Niugini in Port Moresby was not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for Papua New Guinea’s Accident Investigation Commission said investigators would fly to the scene as soon as possible to piece together what happened.

In 2013, all 101 passengers aboard a Lion Air flight that overshot the runway at Denpasar in Indonesia and landed in shallow water were similarly rescued by boats without casualties.</s>An Air Niugini plane crashed in a lagoon off the Federal States of Micronesia after missing the runway while attempting to land.

The Papua New Guinea airline said Friday that its Boeing 737-800 aircraft, P2-PXE, landed short of the runway at Chuuk International Airport.

It added that each of the plane's 35 passengers and 12 crew members had been safely evacuated. The aircraft had been en route to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

"The incident occurred at 10:10am FSM local time (7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday)," the airline said in a statement on Facebook. "Air Niugini has been informed that the weather was very poor with heavy rain and reduced visibility at the time of incident."

Video of the incident's aftermath soon surfaced on social media.

The airline said it is now sending help to the island state and is contacting officials, passenger representatives and the crew's families.

"Air Niugini is now positioning assistance to Chuuk for our passengers and crew," the airline said. "We are also in touch with the embassies, passenger representatives, stakeholders and families of the crew."

"We thank everyone in Chuuk for the assistance provided today," it added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, crew and their families at this time."

It said in a follow-up statement that the airline's management will fly out to Chuuk to provide assistance, including a company doctor.

Passengers of the downed flight will be able to complete their trip to Port Moresby and hotel accommodation will be provided for others, the airline said.</s>SYDNEY (Reuters) - A flotilla of small boats rescued all 47 passengers and crew from an Air Niugini flight that crashed into the sea short of the runway at an airport in the tiny South Pacific nation of Micronesia on Friday, the airport’s manager said.

“It was supposed to land but instead of landing it was 150 yards short and she went down,” Jimmy Emilio, general manager of Chuuk Airport at Weno in Micronesia, told Reuters by telephone.

“We don’t really know what happened ... people were rescued by boats - 36 passengers and 11 crew were all rescued, only the plane is sinking right now,” he said.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft hit the lagoon surrounding the small island about 9.30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Thursday), Emilio said. The passengers and crew were taken to hospital but no serious injuries were reported.

“I thought we landed hard until I looked over and saw a hole in the side of the plane and water was coming in,” passenger Bill Jaynes said in a video posted by the Pacific Daily News website.

“I thought, well, this is not like the way it’s supposed to happen,” he said. Water was waist-deep in the cabin before rescuers arrived, he said.

Video published online by Radio New Zealand and pictures posted on Twitter showed the half-submerged aircraft surrounded by small speedboats.

Air Niugini said in a statement the airline is “making all efforts” to look after the passengers and crew.

A spokesman for Papua New Guinea’s Accident Investigation Commission said investigators would fly to the scene as soon as possible to piece together what happened.

In 2013, all 101 passengers aboard a Lion Air flight that overshot the runway at Denpasar in Indonesia and landed in shallow water were similarly rescued by boats without casualties.
Air Niugini Flight 73 lands short at Chuuk International Airport and settles in a shallow lagoon. All passengers and crew are successfully evacuated.