Philippines probe Cebu Pacific emergency landing after plane overshoots runway
Pilots and crew under investigation for slow response
Philippine aviation authorities said on Tuesday they were investigating Cebu Pacific pilots and crew who left passengers waiting some 15 minutes before deploying emergency slides on a plane that overshot the runway and landed on its nose.
None of the 165 passengers was injured, but several complained about the slow response. The rough landing in stormy weather on Sunday evening forced the closure of the Davao International Airport in the southern Philippines while the Airbus A320-200 remained stuck on the runway.
Civil Aviation Authority Deputy Director General John Andrews said that the pilots’ error probably caused the accident.
Everyone panicked. Women and children were screaming
“Everyone panicked. Women and children were screaming,” Percival Jacones told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He said that the cabin crew appeared stunned and that it took 15 minutes before the captain came out of the cockpit to address the passengers.
Davao Mayor Sara Duterte said airport management was late in alerting city emergency services about the landing and denied quick access to the passengers. She said that an airport security guard phoned Emergency 911 to report the accident. The aviation authority said that all angles will be investigated.
Cebu Pacific President Lance Gokongwei apologised but also defended the crew’s action.
“In this situation we may not have handled all issues perfectly, but we can learn from this experience,” Gokongwei told ABS-CBN TV.
