[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIhqP2oS-Zs&w=560&h=315%5D
Air Niugini Boeing 737-800 P2-PXE overran the runway at Chuuk Airport in Micronesia and ended up in the lagoon. Flight PX 073 had just arrived from Pohnpei.
35 passengers and 12 crew members were able to safely evacuate the aircraft.
On social media:
Air Niugini issued this statement:
Air Niugini provides the following update regarding the short landing of its Boeing 737-800 series aircraft at Chuuk International airport, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) this morning.
P2-PXE was operating scheduled flight PX 073 between Pohnpei and Chuuk Airport in FSM when the incident occurred. The incident occurred at 10:10 am FSM local time. Air Niugini has been informed that the weather was very poor with heavy rain and reduced visibility at the time of incident.
The aircraft had 35 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, all of whom were able to safely evacuate the aircraft.
Air Niugini is now positioning assistance to Chuuk for our passengers and crew. We are also in touch with the embassies, passenger representatives, stakeholders and families of the crew.
We thank everyone in Chuuk for the assistance provided today.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, crew and their families at this time.
Air Niugini further advises that it has scheduled a special flight for company personnel tomorrow morning to take airline management to provide assistance to passengers and crew who were on PX 073, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft that landed short at Chuuk International airport runway today.
This will include the company doctor to assist with treatment of few passengers who had injuries from the incident.
The special flight will be available to allow those passengers who wish to complete their trip to Port Moresby and onward to their final destinations.
Air Niugini has also arranged hotel accommodation for the other 27 passengers and 12 crew members.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
