Thai Airways Flight 365
Thai Airways Flight 365 was a Thai Airways Company Boeing 737-2P5 with registration number HS-TBC. Flight 365 was on a scheduled flight from Hat Yai International Airport to Phuket International Airport (both in Thailand) that crashed on 31 August 1987, killing all 83 people on board: 74 passengers and 9 crew.[1]
 A Thai Airways Boeing 737-200, similar to the one involved. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 August 1987 |
| Summary | Pilot error along with ATC error |
| Site | Off Ko Phuket, Thailand 8°7′40″N 98°28′16″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-200 |
| Operator | Thai Airways |
| Registration | HS-TBC |
| Flight origin | Hat Yai International Airport |
| Destination | Phuket International Airport |
| Occupants | 83 |
| Passengers | 74 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 83 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a seven-year-old Boeing 737-200 with registration HS-TBC and the plant number 22267/685 was built in 1980 and was delivered to Thai Airways in the same year. The aircraft had no previous adverse incident history. At the time of the crash, the aircraft was seven years and one month old and had 16,963 flying hours.[2]
Crash
The meteorological conditions were good as Flight 365 approached Phuket International Airport. As they prepared to land, the flight crew of Flight 365 expressed concern about a Dragonair Boeing 737 that was also landing at the airport but behind and below their aircraft.
At 15:34 local time (08:34 UTC), the Dragonair captain told the air traffic controller that he was 24 kilometres (15 mi; 13 nmi) away from the airport at an altitude of 750 metres (2,460 ft) and that the Thai Airways aircraft at a distance of about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi; 4.9 nmi) in front of him. Because the Dragonair's Boeing 737 was closer to the airport and flying at a lower altitude, it was the first to land. The Dragonair aircraft then turned right for the final approach to Runway 27. A few seconds later, the Thai pilots were given permission to drop to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and land after.[3]
Immediately thereafter, the approach control was again called by the Thai crew, which stated that the position of the Dragonair flight would be incorrect. The Thai pilots also told the air traffic controller that they were at a distance of only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi; 8.1 nmi) from the airport, even though their aircraft was even farther away at that time. The Thai aircraft was then given priority by the air traffic control at 15:36 for landing.[3]
The captain of the Dragonair flight now warned of a possible collision because the Thai Boeing 737 would cut its flight path. As a result, the Thai Airways crew reduced the aircraft's speed. A lapse in concentration by the flight crew occurred allowing the speed of Flight 365 to fall below the minimum limit. When the speed had dropped to 163 knots (188 mph), the stick shaker activated. The aircraft slowed down for another ten seconds and then at a speed of 152 knots (175 mph), stalled. In an attempt to recover from the stall, the captain increased engine power and retracted the landing gear. This failed as the aircraft was now at a low altitude. The plane crashed into the Andaman Sea 15 kilometres (9.3 mi; 8.1 nmi) east of the airport, and sank into a seabed that was 20 metres (66 ft) deep.[3] Everyone on board the aircraft was killed.[4]
Investigation
The probable cause for the crash of Flight 365 was determined to be "The pilot slowed the aircraft and it stalled while the pilot prepared to be number one on landing as advised by Phuket approach control. It appears that he was worrying and not sure whether he could make number one landing because the pilot of number two aircraft in sequence gave warning that the number one aircraft ahead was above him and could not descend passing through his level. The pilot added power and raised the gear after stick shaker activated but didn't execute a recovery before hitting the sea." In addition to pilot error, the air traffic controller was blamed for failing to keep Flight 365 and the Dragonair 737 adequately separated.[2][4]
The two duty air traffic controllers were assigned to other positions after the accident. Legal action was later taken against them.[4]
References
- "83 Feared Killed in Thai Air Crash". The New York Times. Ap. 1 September 1987. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2P5 HS-TBC Phuket International Airport (HKT)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- "ICAO Circular 259-AN/153, Aircraft Accident Digest Nr. 34, 1987, pages 97–118" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- Gero, David, Aviation Disasters, Patrick Stephens Limited 1994