Cebu Pacific Aircraft Overshoots Runway at Davao

Photo Source: Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation Blog

DAVAO CITY — A Cebu Pacific aircraft inbound from Manila overshot the runway at Davao International Airport on the evening of Sunday, June 2, 2013. The Airbus A320 aircraft was apparently making an emergency landing due to engine malfunction suffered just prior to landing. The aircraft veered off the runway during heavy rain.

According to a statement released by Cebu Pacific, Flight 971 was travelling enroute from Manila to Davao amid heavy downpour on Sunday night with 165 passengers on board. While the pilot was able to land the aircraft safely, the plane veered off the right side of the runway. All 165 passengers were safely shuttled to the airport terminal and their needs taken care of. There were no reports of any severe injuries or casualties.

Meanwhile, several flights of both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific were cancelled due to the closing of the runway. At least ten flights were cancelled on Sunday night with the possibility of additional cancellations on Monday morning. Some flights were diverted to Cebu and Manila on Sunday evening. According to Cebu Pacific, guests on these flights will be re-accommodated on the next available flights, and will be provided meals, hotels, and transfers as necessary.

While details of the incident remain scarce and the cause is unknown, several conflicting reports are beginning to emerge from passengers and eye-witnesses.

Photo Source: Laiza Dale A. Lacida/Rappler

According to Colonel Leopoldo Galon, Flight 5J 971 veered off the concrete after the runway lights suddenly went out at approximately 7:10pm.

In an interview with Rappler, Jun Narciso, a passenger on board the flight indicated that one of the aircraft's engines was on fire prior to landing. However, Laiza Lacida, another passenger on board says the engine was not on fire but you could smell smoke inside the plane. Narciso said that the landing was very abrupt and that the pilot immediately braked in addition to shutting off the aircraft's engines. He added that they were lucky that the heavy rain extinguished the fire. Based on passenger interviews from other media outlets, it would seem that there was indeed an engine fire and possible engine explosion aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 971. Some passengers claim they heard a big bang in the engine prior to landing while others indicate the plane sounded different than usual. In an interview with GMA Davao, Jeffrey Wong who was seated on the right side of the aircraft, said that he saw the aircraft's engine burning seconds before landing.

Passengers remain unsettled following the incident as a result of not just the trauma, but the poor emergency response from the airport and airline staff.

According to Narciso, the rescue team did not arrive until 15 minutes after the incident. He went on to explain that cabin crew refused to open the plane's door and would not explain to passengers what was happening. Narciso says that after a period of around 15 minutes, the pilot emerged from the cockpit and indicated that the incident was caused by the aircraft's windshield wipers.

Several passengers complained that the responding units were inadequately prepared and did not have the proper equipment available to respond effectively. While Cebu Pacific indicated that passengers were "safely shuttled" to the airport terminal, some passengers are reporting that they were forced to walk a fair distance from the incident location to the arrivals area of the airport without any assistance from airline staff.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has not released any information regarding the incident. Significant safety issues and emergency response deficiencies were raised by passengers. As details unfold and facts emerge, there is no doubt that questions will arise as to the appropriate handling of emergency scenarios and whether airports in the Philippines are trained and prepared to adequately handle them. Additionally, the crew will be scrutinized for the timeliness of their actions.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Cebu Pacific advised passengers not to speak out about the incident. But passengers have been quick to bring their reactions to the media along with social media. Cebu Pacific is blaming the weather and the airport blackout. But the cause of the engine fire is still unknown. A full scale investigation is already under way.

The incident comes at a time when the Philippine government and Philippine aviation industry is seeking an upgrade of the country's aviation safety rating by authorities in the United States and Europe.

Scenes from the Accident Site