Thai Airways Airbus A330 Destroyed After Landing Gear Failure at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Casualties unknown • TH

An Airbus A330-321 operated by Thai Airways was destroyed after the right main landing gear bogie beam fractured during landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway and catch fire.

What happened

On 8 September 2013, at 16:26 UTC, a Thai Airways International flight, TG 679, was landing on runway 19L at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-321 with registration HS-TEF, arrived from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport carrying 288 passengers and 14 crew members.

After touching down approximately 440 metres from the runway threshold, the aircraft continued rolling for another 760 metres when the right main landing gear (RH MLG) bogie beam fractured. This structural failure caused the aircraft to collapse toward the right side and veer off the runway centerline. As the aircraft moved toward the edge of the runway, the damaged bogie beam scraped the pavement, creating deep grooves in the runway surface. The aircraft eventually exited the runway between taxiways B5 and B8, traveling 100 metres into the soft ground of the runway strip before coming to a stop.

During the excursion, the aircraft's engines ingested foreign object debris, leading to an engine fire. The pilot and crew initiated emergency evacuation procedures. While 15 passengers sustained minor injuries, the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the fragmentation of the right main landing gear bogelle beam, which led to the aircraft's collapse and subsequent runway excursion. The investigation identified that the operator failed to perform required repetitive inspections of the bogie beam's internal surfaces due to a misinterpretation of several EASA Airworthiness Directives.

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Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2013-09-08 Airbus A330-321,            Thai  / English accident near TH?

An Airbus A330-321 operated by Thai Airways was destroyed after the right main landing gear bogie beam fractured during landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway and catch fire.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2013-09-08 involved a Airbus A330-321,            Thai  / English, registration HS-TEF, at TH.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by the fragmentation of the right main landing gear bogelle beam, which led to the aircraft's collapse and subsequent runway excursion. The investigation identified that the operator failed to perform required repetitive inspections of the bogie beam's internal surfaces due to a…

Investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee of Thailand (AAIC). Original record: https://motdrive.mot.go.th/index.php/s/R8S65RV2kTPJjDt/download. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC), Ministry of Transport, Thailand.

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