By Katalina Siasau

The Lulutai Saab 340 aircraft slid off the taxiway at the Fua'amotu Domestic Airport with a full load of passengers, early this afternoon, hitting a low concrete wall, after it earlier aborted landing at the Lupepau’u Airport in Vava’u.

Early reports say that no one was killed or injured, but one man was reportedly carried off the plane by responding soldiers, and the passengers were traumatised.

The plane, which is damaged but still in one piece, came to rest on a low concrete structure in front of the Fua'amotu Domestic Terminal. Early reports suggest that the right landing gear collapsed as the aircraft turned on the taxi-way.

The 34 seater aircraft, A3-PUA, departed Fua'amotu Domestic Airport for Vava’u at 12:30pm this afternoon.

Leslie Tauaika, a passenger on the flight, told Matangi Tonga that after they boarded the flight it was fine, and even when they reached Vava'u, the plane announced that they were landing, and everything seemed normal.

“All of a sudden the plane changes direction and all we were seeing was the ocean," she said.

"The pilot then announced that we were returning to Fua’amotu Airport because there was a ‘technical issue’ with the plane.

“I asked the air hostess, and she said it was a problem with the hydraulic."

But when Leslie asked what would happen if they landed at Fua'amotu with the "hydraulic issue", the air hostess responded that she would talk to the pilot. “But she never came back with answers,” Leslie said.

“When they announced the landing at Fua’amotu, it just felt weird. It felt off. The next thing we knew was a massive boom, and the plane went sideways!

"We didn’t know at the time what happened. Everyone was screaming and crying, kids were crying, chairs were broken. People were trying to stand up to run to the front. It was traumatic, now that I think of it."

"Then the plane stopped abruptly, it hit something. A lady screamed: ‘we hit something, we’re on the curb’…"

Leslie contacted her family in Vava'u who were wondering why the plane had not landed there.

After the traumatic event, Leslie said they got offloaded from the plane.

She said a man was carried out by soldiers who responded to the event, but she was unsure if he was seriously injured, or simply shocked.

Passengers stranded

Leslie also shared their experience after the aircraft accident, as they were left with no staff tending to the passengers, who stood traumatised at the airport. "They left us at the airport not knowing what would would happen to us, no, we’re not even from Tongatapu."

They spoke with the Lulutai office at Fua'amotu, who told the passengers that they would help with their accommodation.

Then, they were instucted to go to the Lulutai main office in town. They were transported by the Lulutai van, to the main office in town.

"When we got there, their respond was: ‘We don’t do that. We don't give accommodation. Do you want a refund?’ ” said Leslie.

"We’re pretty much stranded here."

"What’s gonna happen to the people that were on the flight? It was traumatising, there were kids, they were crying and in shock."

No warning

Meanwhile, many people working at the nearby Fua'amotu International Airport were not aware that there was an emergency.

Paul Karalus, the General Manager of the Airport Terminal Service (Tonga) Ltd., told Matangi Tonga the accident happened around 2:00pm.

“We were inside our office and there was nothing to indicate to us that anything was happening. We only heard it later at around 2:20pm that there had been an emergency.

“There was damage to the aircraft but nobody hurt.

“I saw where it was when it came to rest and that's all I have seen of it, the aircraft is all in one piece; it's on a lean because the right landing gear has collapsed, very likely the hydraulic, as suggested by some,” he said.

Paul said that the Saab aircraft had been on its way to Vava'u. “Some time after passing Ha'apai they must have had some indication there was an issue with the hydraulics so they returned to Tonga. Very wisely, Sam, the captain, elected to return when he discovered whatever the problem was.”

Paul said he believed that the landing was perfectly okay but then the aircraft turned off the main runway onto the taxiway.

“And then it turns on the taxiway again to face the Domestic Terminal and, at some point there, the landing gear collapsed, so where it started to slide or slip, I don't know, but it was off the taxiway,” he said.

Paul said the damaged aircraft is not causing any obstruction to the operation of the International airport.

“It's off the runway and its no obstacle to any other traffic,” Paul said.

Lulutai Airlines has yet to release a statement regarding today's accident with the 26 year old A3-PUA, which came back into service this year.

It operates two other aircraft a Y12 and a new aircraft for Tonga's domestic service, a de-Havilland Twin-Otter.

The ownership of the airline was questioned in Tonga's Legislative Assembly in September. The Prime Minister is the chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Lulutai Airlines Ltd.