What happened
During an approach to Chiang Rai Airport under favorable weather conditions, an aircraft traveling from Chiang Mai experienced a significant incident upon touchdown. While the flight had been routine until that point, the aircraft completed its landing with the landing gear in the retracted position. Following the impact with the runway, the plane slid for approximately 1,075 meters before finally coming to a stop.
Despite the severity of the impact and the subsequent slide, all 43 occupants managed to evacuate the aircraft without sustaining any injuries. However, the structural damage sustained by the aircraft was so extensive that it was declared a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the incident identified several critical errors made by the flight crew during the approach phase. The primary reason for the accident was that the crew failed to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
Several contributing factors were noted in the official report, including:
- A failure to adhere to the established approach checklist
- Inadequate coordination between the crew members
- Insufficient supervision of the copilot's actions by the captain