News

Air Niugini Plane Overshoots the Runway at Chuuk, Micronesia and Lands in Sea

First reports from accident indicated no casualties, however, the body of a passenger has been discovered in the lagoon where the plane came to rest. Air Niugini had initially said all 47 passengers and crew had survived when the Boeing 737-800 crashed near the Chuuk island runway on Friday.

Four passengers were in stable conditions at a Chuuk island hospital and will be taken soon to Guam for further treatment, Air Niugini said.

Flight PX73 from nearby Pohnpei island crashed about 145 metres from the Chuuk International Airport runway, the airline said.

What caused the crash remains unclear? The airline and US Navy said the plane landed in the lagoon short of the runway. Some witnesses thought the plane overshot the runway.

A Papua New Guinea accident investigation team flew to Micronesia on Friday, the Post Courier newspaper reported.

Flight PX73 flies from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, via Pohnpei and Chuuk.

Photo from Twitter