Twin Otter Aircraft Involved in "Serious" Incident in PNG's Gulf Province
A Twin Otter aircraft carrying 16 people from Kerema to Kikori in the Gulf province, Papua New Guinea experienced a "serious" incident after landing on Saturday, according to Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) chief commissioner Maryanne Wal. The aircraft is operated by Tropicair Limited.
Chief Commissioner Wal reported that the two pilots and 14 passengers on board were not injured in the incident. In a statement, she explained that the AIC is conducting a thorough investigation into the accident, which occurred when the aircraft rolled off the left boundary of the Kikori airstrip and into a ditch, causing the nose wheel to partially bog into the ground.
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| Twin Otter Aircraft Involved in "Serious" Incident in PNG's Gulf Province [Photo supplied] |
The incident was reported to the AIC by Tropicair Limited via a phone call at 13:23 pm on June 8. The aircraft was on an IFR (instrument flight rules) passenger flight from Kerema to Kikori when the incident occurred. Wal noted that the nose cone of the aircraft impacted the ground before it came to a stop.
The incident took place at approximately 11:35 am local time. Upon notification, the AIC promptly began gathering information and deployed two investigators to Kikori airstrip for an onsite investigation. Their initial observations indicated that damage to the aircraft was limited to the nose cone.
The AIC has classified this occurrence as a "serious incident." The ongoing investigation will examine various factors including aircraft and pilot performance, airstrip conditions, weather, maintenance and serviceability of the aircraft, organisational aspects, and regulatory oversight, as outlined in the statement from the commission.
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