Bangkok Airways Flight 266 2.18

Bangkok Airways Flight 266 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Samui Airport, Thailand, which overran the runway on landing and crashed into an old and unmanned control tower on 4 August 2009.AircraftThe aircraft involved was an ATR 72-212A, registration HS-PGL, msn 670. The aircraft made its first flight on 6 June 2001 with French registration F-WWER. It entered service with Bangkok Airways on 16 July 2001 re-registered HS-PGL. On 29 May 2006, it entered service with Siem Reap Airways International, returning to Bangkok Airways on 7 January 2009 after Siem Reap Airways International ceased trading. The aircraft was named Pha Ngan, and has been in service for approx. 20,000 hrs.AccidentThe aircraft is reported to have skidded off the runway and hit an old and unmanned control tower which was used as a fire-fighting station. The accident happened at around 14:15 local time (07:15 UTC). One pilot was reported to have been killed. The co-pilot, who was stuck in the aircraft for more than two hours, was among the last evacuated from the stricken plane. Serious injuries included four passengers – two Britons, one Italian and one Swiss suffered broken legs, while two other Britons suffered less severe injuries. The co-pilot also had leg injuries. A total of 41 people were injured. The METAR in force at the time of the accident was METAR VTSM 040700Z 29015KT 9000 FEW020TCU SCT120 BKN300 31/25 Q1007 A2974 TCU-NW. This translates as METAR for Samui Airport, issued on the 4th of the month at 07:00 UTC, wind at 15 knots, direction 290° visibility 9 km, few clouds at 2,000 ft, scattered clouds at 12,000 ft, broken clouds at 30,000 ft, temperature 31 °C, dewpoint 25 °C, altimeter 1007 millibars or 29.74 inches, towering cumulonimbus to north west.