Thai Airways Jumbo Jet slides off a runway while landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok in heavy rain. The Boeing 747-400, performing flight TG679, departed from Guangzhou, but due to bad weather conditions and heavy rain was not able to stop and suffered runway excursion. One passenger was slightly injured during the accident, out of the 116 people on board. Fortunately he is stable condition and was transported to local hospital for medical treatment.
“When the plane finally came to a stop, slides were deployed and passengers and crew members were evacuated and moved safely to the passenger terminal”, said Pratana Patanasiri, Thai Airways vice president for aviation safety. “Passengers were served with food and beverages while waiting for their baggage”, added he.
The investigation for the root cause of the accident is under way.
The troubled plane Boeing 747-400 blocked Runway 19R and it was closed pending its removal. Dalat Asawet, deputy director of Suvarnabhumi airport, said later on Tuesday that the western runway would reopen before the end of the day.
The Boeing 747 is an American wide-body commercial jet airliner and cargo aircraft, often referred to by its original nickname, “Jumbo Jet”. Its distinctive hump upper deck along the forward part of the aircraft has made it one of the most recognizable aircraft, and it was the first wide-body airplane produced. Manufactured by Boeing’s Commercial Airplane unit in the United States, the 747 was originally envisioned to have 150% greater capacity than the Boeing 707.