Thai Airways International Flight 261
HS-TIA, the aircraft involved, photographed at Don Mueang International Airport in June 1997 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 11 December 1998 |
| Summary | Stalled during approach due to pilot error and spatial disorientation |
| Site | 700 m S of Surat Thani International Airport (URT) (Thailand) 09°7′42″N 99°8′17″E / 9.12833°N 99.13806°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A310-204 |
| Aircraft name | Phitsanulok |
| Operator | Thai Airways International |
| IATA flight No. | TG261 |
| ICAO flight No. | THA261 |
| Call sign | THAI 261 |
| Registration | HS-TIA |
| Flight origin | Don Mueang International Airport |
| Destination | Surat Thani International Airport |
| Occupants | 146 |
| Passengers | 132 |
| Crew | 14 |
| Fatalities | 101 |
| Injuries | 45 |
| Survivors | 45 |
Thai Airways International Flight 261 (TG261/THA261) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport to Surat Thani International Airport in Surat Thani, Thailand. The flight was operated by Thai Airways International, the flag carrier of Thailand. On 11 December 1998, the aircraft, an Airbus A310-204 registered in Thailand as HS-TIA, stalled and crashed into a swamp during its landing attempt at Surat Thani Airport. A total of 101 people were killed in the crash.
Thailand's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC) opened an investigation into the accident. The investigation revealed that the crew were disoriented. As their attempts to land at the airport had failed multiple times, the crew became upset, causing them not to maintain awareness of the condition of their aircraft until it started to enter an upset condition. The pilots failed to recover the aircraft and the aircraft crashed into the swamp.
The accident was the second deadliest plane crash in Thailand, behind Lauda Air Flight 004. It was the fifth worst accident involving the Airbus A310, the fourth hull loss of an Airbus A310.