RAYONG — An incident occurred where an airplane experienced a malfunction, and its landing gear failed to deploy while preparing to land at U-Tapao Airport in Phla Subdistrict, Ban Chang District, Rayong Province, at 00:30 on June 15, 2024.
Rescue units in Rayong Province were contacted by U-Tapao Airport, informing them that the incident happened as a commercial aircraft was preparing to land at U-Tapao Airport. They then requested ambulance and rescue teams to be on standby and prepared at the incident site.
All rescue teams were on standby in front of the Naval Air Division, with more than 40 ambulances and rescue vehicles from Rayong and Chonburi Provinces, along with officials ready to perform life-saving duties in case of an emergency.
Initial information revealed that the aircraft was an Airbus A319, traveling from Dubai, with 1 captain, 1 co-pilot, and 7 crew members, totaling 9 people. The plane intended to land at U-Tapao Airport but encountered a problem with the landing gear not deploying. They notified the U-Tapao Airport’s air traffic control tower to prepare for a ground situation. The airport then coordinated with rescue units to be on standby at the airport to prepare for potential emergency situations.
Later, at 01:05, it was reported that the aircraft had safely landed on the runway at U-Tapao Airport. All crew members and passengers were safe, which greatly relieved the officials.
Prior to this incident, a Singapore Airlines passenger plane requested an emergency landing at a Thai airport, Suvarnabhumi, due to encountering air turbulence. The incident resulted in the death of one British passenger on May 22.
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