Freak accident disrupts Zamboanga airport ops

The operations at the Zamboanga International Airport were disrupted on Wednesday morning after a plane about to take off sustained damage on its landing gear. Inspector Victoriano Bato, deputy commander of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group in Zamboanga City, said none of the 98 passengers and one infant aboard the plane was injured. "Ito nahulog ang isang gulong niya sa gutter, sa semento, ng runway. Itong eroplano natin na Flight 124 for Manila for takeoff na sana ito. Kaya lang ang piloto na-miscalculate niya at nahulog ang gulong niya," Bato said in an interview on dzBB radio. (One of the tires in the landing gear fell on the gutter of the runway. The PAL Flight 124 for Manila was about to take off but the pilot apparently miscalculated and the plane lost its landing gear.) He said the plane was taxiing toward Runway 09 at the time of the incident, about 7:10 a.m. Because of the incident, he said flights to Zamboanga International Airport had to be diverted until the plane could be removed from the area. "Lahat ng flight nila medyo na-divert at hinihintay pa na ma-retrieve itong eroplano (All flights to the airport were diverted until the plane could be removed)," he said. He said the weather conditions at the time were good at the time of the accident. – VVP, GMA News