Small plane crashes in central Thailand, 1 dead, 1 injured

A small plane crashed into a shrimp pond in Samut Sakhon province in central Thailand this morning, killing one man and injuring one woman.

At 7.24am, the Samut Sakhon Provincial Incident Notification and Command Centre reported that a two-seater Tecnum P92 aircraft crashed into a pond at a shrimp farm along the Khok Kham – Sandap Road behind the Sinsakhon Industrial Estate in Khok Kham subdistrict, Mueang district.

At 7.40am, officers from Khok Kham Police Station were informed and rushed to the shrimp farm with doctors from Samut Sakhon Hospital, Ekachai Hospital and rescue workers from the Samut Sakhon Charitable Foundation.

Inside the wreckage, police found the body of 55 year old Prakit Sappipattana from Nonthaburi province. Prakit was the president of the Friendship Flying Club in Samut Sakhon province.

The injured, 45 year old Saeng Chantima, was rushed to Samut Sakhon Hospital for treatment.

A witness, 55 year old Homwaan Koksi, said she a loud sound and then saw the plane collide with a tamarind tree before crashing into the shrimp pond.

She said she ran over to see “a lot of oil” pouring out of the plane and a man and woman trapped inside. Homwaan said she was scared the plane would blow up so she called locals over for help.

Villagers jumped into the water and used a knife to cut the woman’s seatbelt and pull her out of the wreckage to safety. However, they didn’t manage to save the man in time, said Homwaan.

A flight instructor told reporters that the plane departed from Best Ocean Golf Course in Samut Sakhon at around 6.30am and was headed for Chiang Mai. The golf course has an airstrip and is home to the headquarters of the deceased’s flying club.

He said he doesn’t know how the plane ended up in this area. As for the cause, he said he doesn’t know and must wait for the inspection to be completed.

Police said they expect the cause of the crash to be engine failure but will ask the injured, Saeng, for more information once she has recovered.

At 9.37am, the ‘Thailand Disaster Relief Volunteers Tor Nor 34-00 Thanaboonwipha’ posted photos of the wreckage on Facebook…