Internet petition calls for another One-Two-Go crash probe

BANGKOK (Daily Xpress): More than 4,400 people, mostly foreigners, have “signed” an Internet petition seeking another formal investigation into the crash of One-Two-GO Airlines Flight OG269 at Phuket International Airport on September 17 last year.

The petition calls for a formal probe into claims that the crash may have been caused by controversial management practices by the airline.

Relatives of some of the 90 people killed in the crash have written to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej seeking an independent inquiry into allegations raised by a television report that the boss of One-Two-Go and its sister airline Orient Thai encouraged pilots to adopt unsafe practices, such as excessive flying hours.

The allegations are detailed on the website www.investigateudom.com set up by the American sister of a man who was killed in the crash.

Udom Tantisprasong-chai, the head of One-Two-Go and Orient Thai, denied any wrongdoing on the documentary report, aired on Australian TV last year, but families of the deceased – many of whom have signed the petition – appear to remain unconvinced.

Many of those who have signed the petition have also expressed a lack of faith that the inquiries being conducted by the Department of Civil Aviation will get to the true cause of the crash.