BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — At least 3 people were injured when a Philippine Airlines jet overshot the runway of the Bancasi Airport here around 6:45 a.m. Friday, careering into coconut grove, officials said.

Superintendent Elmer Doyo, regional director of the Criminal detection and Investigation Group (CIDG), said among the injured was the plane pilot’s Captain Fernando Santos.

The Airbus A320, which left Manila about 5:10 a.m., was carrying 148 passengers and six crew, aviation officials said.

The flag carrier sustained some damage as it nosed into a grove of coconut and banana trees when it overshot the 1.2-kilometer runway. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, a PAL spokesman told Agence France-Presse.

Thirty-four passengers were taken to hospital for treatment, but all but one have been discharged, PAL said in a statement.

Emmanuel Costelo, airport manager, said it was most likely that the pilot erred during landing and missed the runway.

Costelo said he received accounts from eyewitness about the plane landing on the wrong “touch-down zone.”

“The weather was good and there was nothing unusual. We’re looking into the pilot error angle,” Costello told the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Source: Inquirer.net

Hmmm, will we see 5J ads about airline safety in the coming weeks?

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