The particular captain of the Nok Air flight that will slid off the catwalk at Chiang Rai airport will be summoned by regulators to explain why passengers were kept on board the aircraft for about an hour after the accident.
Suttipong Kongpool, director general from the Civil Aviation Power of Thailand (CAAT), said on Mon that the chief pilot of flight DD108 will be ordered to defend the decision.
“The rationale at the rear of the decision is what the particular CAAT needs to hear from the captain, ” Mr Suttipong informed the “Inside Thailand” news programme.
The Don Mueang-Chiang Rai trip with 164 passengers and six crew slid off the runway and its undercarriage collapsed as it landed within heavy rain on Mae Fah Luang in the northern province on Saturday night. There were no accidental injuries.
The captain turned off the engines of the 737-800 Boeing aircraft following the accident, leaving the particular passenger cabin in darkness and without air conditioning.
The passengers were after that told to stay aboard until buses organized by the airline appeared to take them to the particular terminal.
After about an hour fewer than 20 passengers acquired left by vehicles. The remaining passengers began complaining about the rigid conditions in the log cabin, the lack of fresh air causing breathing problems and the possible dangers of staying in their seats in the dark.
Inside a video taken by the passenger in the log cabin, a woman crew associate was heard wanting to calm down the upset passengers and informing them to remain sitting down. She said, “Passengers are not allowed on runways. ”
The people insisted on leaving the plane and the captain eventually permitted one of the eight emergency quit doors to be opened up so they could disembark on a slide.
Under international aviation protocols, most of passengers must be evacuated from the aircraft within 90 seconds of the serious incident, based on the CAAT chief. But the evacuation rules were also flexible, depending on the circumstances plus safety of the travellers and aircraft, this individual said.
“The captain could be the one who makes the decision on evacuation after assessing the situation, including external factors, ” Mr Suttipong said.
The particular CAAT chief also said passengers were allowed to stand upon runways in case of emergency, although they were off limits in regular circumstances.
It was not known whether or not the captain was a woman or a man.
Mr Suttipong said the particular aviation regulator would not be quick to blame the main pilot for the gradual evacuation that kept most passengers inside the plane without sufficient surroundings to breathe. Large rain and the need to wait for the busses could be among the causes of the decision, he mentioned.
Nok Air has also not really explained the decision.
Nok Air chief executive Wutthiphum Jurangkool told the particular Stock Exchange of Thailand in a filing on Monday that the air travel was in compliance using aviation safety suggestions to ensure the safety of passengers. The flight would investigate the accident, he said.
Mae Fah Luang airport terminal management said on Monday the airport strictly followed emergency procedures after the accident on Saturday night time. This included the quick dispatch of fire engines towards the aircraft and the closure of the runway for that safety of additional airplanes.
The airport continues to be closed until Wednesday, while the Boeing plane is removed as well as the runway examined just for damage.