Passengers and crew on an Air Niugini airplane had a lucky escape after the aircraft overshot the runway in Chuuk, Micronesia, and ended up semi-submerged in the lagoon.
Luckily, it came to a stop close to a market where fishermen had come to sell their catch, and they jumped straight into their boats and started hauling people to shore.
Flight ANG73, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 35 passengers and 12 crew, was enroute to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, to Pohnpei in Micronesia, with a stopover in Weno Island. Those onboard – mainly locals and US and Australian visitors – were taken to hospital for checks, with some allegedly suffering ‘minor injuries’.
The cause of the crash is unclear, but investigations are due to start shortly. Apparently, Air Niugini airplane had only recently begun flying that route with the larger Boeing planes.
Photo credit: Bill Davis
Today I was reading Pappy Boyington’s Book “Ba Ba Black Sheep“ and what I never knew was that he as a POW under loose guard in a Japanese Betty Bomber like Yamamoto s that was landing in Truk “AS “ the attack of Operation Hailstone began and they were thrown from the plane onto the runway. Their plane was being attacked by a Hellcat fighter and destroyed.
If only that pilot knew who was on board.
Pappy lived thru that unbelievable event.
Crazy!!