Air Niugini Flight 73: two Australians safe in plane crash
Two Australians aboard an airliner that plunged into a lagoon after undershooting a runway have reported themselves safe.
Two Australians aboard a Papua New Guinean airliner that plunged into an ocean lagoon after undershooting a runway in Micronesia have reported themselves safe.
A flotilla of small boats was needed to rescue all of the 47 passengers and crew of Air Niugini Flight 73 as the Boeing 737-800 floated off Chuuk Airport, 3000km north of Brisbane, at about 9.30am.
Local journalist Bill Jaynes, who was aboard the plane, described attempted landing as “surreal”.
“I thought we landed hard until I looked over and saw a hole in the side of the plane and water was coming in, and I thought, well, this is not like the way it’s supposed to happen,” he told Pacific Daily News.
“We came in very low. Unfortunately the flight attendants panicked and started yelling, and I was trying to be calm and help as best as I could.”
The passengers and crew were taken to hospital but no serious injuries were reported.
Australian diplomats in Micronesia made contact with the two Australians aboard the flight, though neither of them sought consular assistance.
Papua New Guinea’s Accident Investigation Commission said its investigators would fly to the scene as soon as possible to piece together what happened. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it could provide assistance if requested.
Air Niugini schedule includes regular flights to Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns.
A spokesman for Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said it would consider implementing proactive safety precautions in the light of investigation reports by PNGAIC and Air Niugini.
BREAKING: The Air Niugini plane which has landed in the ocean appears to be Flight PX073 which is scheduled to fly Pohnpei - Chuuk - Port Moresby. Photos show small boats effecting rescue @PXPNG #PNG pic.twitter.com/xPNsau2jZH
— Deni ToKunai (@Tavurvur) September 28, 2018
Australia plays no role in the registration or certification of Air Niugini planes, ATSB’s spokeswoman said.
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 loss of life.
Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea, has operated since 1973 and has never recorded a fatal crash.
Its fleet includes Boeing 767 and 737 jets for international routes, according to the airline, as well as Fokker F-100 aircraft, Q400 and Dash 8 aircraft for challenging local terrain.
The Federated States of Micronesia gained their independence from the United States in 1986 and are home to just over 100,000 people.
Additional reporting: Reuters, AP
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