Investigation Summary
Flight 266 was a short domestic hop from Krabi to the island of Koh Samui. During the approach to runway 35, the aircraft encountered challenging weather, including surface winds from 300 degrees at 15 knots with gusts reported between 25 and 35 knots. As the aircraft descended through 500 feet, it entered a non-stabilized state. At 14:10:06 local time, the GPWS issued a 'Sink Rate' warning, indicating an excessive rate of descent. Rather than following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which mandated a go-around under such conditions, the captain continued the landing, believing he could correct the flight path. The aircraft touched down with both the nose and main gear simultaneously at 117 knots, roughly 180 meters past the threshold. As it slowed to 65 knots, the aircraft veered left off the runway. The left wing tip struck the roof of a fire engine parking building, causing the fuselage to rotate and slam into the meteorological office building at 43 knots. The impact crushed the cockpit, killing the captain instantly and trapping the co-pilot for over two hours.
Final Conclusions
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC) of Thailand released its final report on 30 September 2025. The investigation concluded that the primary cause was the pilot's decision not to perform a go-around during a non-stabilized approach in adverse weather conditions, characterized by surface winds of 300 degrees with gusts between 25 and 35 knots. Contributing factors included the co-pilot's failure to challenge the captain or call for a go-around when the 'Sink Rate' warning sounded, and the location of the meteorological office building, which acted as an obstacle within the transitional surface of the runway strip.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Pilot Flying; fatally injured in the collision.
Systems & Failure Modes
GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System)
The system issued a 'Sink Rate' warning at 14:10:06, indicating the aircraft's vertical speed was too high for the current altitude.
Obstacle Limitation Surfaces
The meteorological office building exceeded the height limits for its proximity to the runway, acting as a lethal obstacle during the excursion.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft involved was an ATR 72-500 named 'Pha Ngan', which had accumulated 20,713 airframe hours.
- 02The meteorological office building struck by the aircraft was 10 meters high and located only 80 meters from the runway centerline.
- 03ICAO standards at the time recommended a runway strip width of 75 meters on each side, but Samui Airport only provided 50 meters.
- 04The captain was the Pilot Flying (PF) during the accident sequence.
- 05The fuselage was later used as part of an artificial reef project in 2013.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Aerodrome Compliance Review
The investigation highlighted that the runway strip width (50m) did not meet the ICAO Annex 14 recommendation of 75m for non-instrument runways, leading to reviews of airport obstacle safety zones.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikipedia geotag.