Lao Airlines Flight 301
_landing_at_Suvarnabhumi_Airport_in_Bangkok.jpg) One of six ATR-72 aircraft operated by Lao Airlines | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 October 2013 |
| Summary | Under investigation |
| Site | Done Kho Island, Mekong River, Pakse, Laos 15°09′06″N 105°43′59″E / 15.15167°N 105.73306°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | ATR 72-600 |
| Operator | Lao Airlines |
| Registration | RDPL-34233 |
| Flight origin | Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Laos |
| Destination | Pakse International Airport, Laos |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 49 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
Lao Airlines Flight 301 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Vientiane to Pakse, Laos. On 16 October 2013, the ATR 72-600 aircraft operating the flight crashed into the Mekong River at Pakse; all 49 people on board died.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was an ATR 72-600, registration RDPL-34233, serial number 1071. The aircraft had been delivered to Lao Airlines on 29 March 2013.[1] At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 758 hours of flight.[2]
Accident
The aircraft was operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Wattay International Airport, Vientiane to Pakse International Airport, Pakse, Laos.[1][3] The flight departed from Vientiane at 14:45 local time (07:45 UTC), and crashed into the Mekong River while on approach to Pakse at 15:55 local time (08:55 UTC), less than 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from its destination airport.[4][5][6] There were five crew and 44 passengers on board, all of whom are presumed to have died upon impact.[7] Marks on the ground indicated that the aircraft landed heavily on the ground before entering the Mekong.[8] The weather was reported to be poor at the time of the accident due to the remnants of Typhoon Nari affecting southern Laos.[3][9]
Recovery of the victims and wreckage was hampered by the fast-flowing, deep waters of the Mekong. To assist with the search, 50 divers from Thailand were brought in.[2] Eighteen of the victims had been recovered as of 18 October.[10] Some of the victims were found 19 kilometres (12 mi) downstream of the crash site.[8]
The accident, the first involving the ATR 72-600,[11] was the deadliest ever to occur on Laotian soil and also the deadliest ever for the airline since it was founded in 1976.[12][13][14] It was the first fatal crash on a Lao Airlines flight since 19 October 2000.[15]
Investigation
The Laotian Department of Civil Aviation opened an investigation into the accident.[2] The aircraft's manufacturer ATR and the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) are assisting them.[3] The BEA sent four investigators to Laos.[16]
Passengers and crew
The victims were of eleven different nationalities. Of the 44 passengers on board, 16 were Laotian,[7] as were four of the five crew. The pilot was a Cambodian national.[8][9] The remaining casualties consisted of seven French nationals, six Australians, five Thais, three South Koreans, three Vietnamese, and one each from China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the United States.[4][8][17][18][19][20] At least two children, both from Australia, were among the dead.[7] Early reports that a Canadian was on board were incorrect, since it was later determined that the individual was a Vietnamese national.[21]
| Country | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Laos |
16 | 4 | 20 |
 France |
7 | – | 7 |
 Australia |
6 | – | 6 |
 Thailand |
5 | – | 5 |
 South Korea |
3 | – | 3 |
 Vietnam |
3 | – | 3 |
 Cambodia |
– | 1 | 1 |
 China |
1 | – | 1 |
 Malaysia |
1 | – | 1 |
 Taiwan |
1 | – | 1 |
 United States |
1 | – | 1 |
| Total | 44 | 5 | 49 |
References
- ^ a b "Lao Airlines ATR 42/72 - MSN 1071 - RDPL-34233". airfleets.net. Retrieved 16 October 2013. Cite error: The named reference "WAN" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Pongkhao, Somsack. "Recovery effort underway after Lao Airlines plane crash". Vientiane Times. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Hradecky, Simon. "Crash: Lao AT72 at Pakse on Oct 16th 2013, went into Mekong River on approach". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Bad weather being blamed for Lao Airlines crash which killed 49 passengers and crew". Reuters. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Lao plane crashes into Mekong River, 39 people killed". Voice of Russia. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ Toh, Mavis. "Lao Airlines working to identify cause of ATR 72 crash". Singapore: Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Doksone, Thanyarat. "49 feared dead in plane crash in Laos". Associated Press. Retrieved 16 October 2013. Cite error: The named reference "Big" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d Harmer, Jerry (17 October 2013). "Bodies recovered in Mekong after Laos plane crash". The Aiken Standard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Dozens reported killed in Laos plane crash". CNN. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Govt demands prompt rescue operation after Pakxe plane crash". Vientiane Times. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ^ Taylor, Ellis (17 October 2013). "ATR releases more details on Lao Airlines crash". Singapore: Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Laos air safety profile". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Lao Aviation". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Lao Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "RDPL-34130 accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Flight QV 301 on 16 October 2013 - ATR 72-600". Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile. Retrieved 17 October 2013. (Archive) - French version (Archive)
- ^ "Au moins sept Français morts dans un accident d'avion au Laos" (in French). Le Monde. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Lao Airlines plane crashes, 49 killed". Bangkok Post. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "At least 44 people die in plane crash". BBC News. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "CEO Press Conference". Lao Airlines. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ "No Canadians on crashed plane in Laos". Citynews. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
