PAL flight aborts Kalibo landing, returns to Manila

A Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight supposed to land in Kalibo, Aklan on Tuesday morning "misapproached" the runway during descent, its belly grazing the airport fence and forcing the pilot to turn around and return to Manila. Airline officials said PAL Flight PR 321, carrying 127 passengers, left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's (NAIA) Terminal 2 at about 8:52 a.m. and encountered a heavy downpour in Aklan. A radio report quoted airport officials as saying the plane "misapproached" the runway. PAL explained in a statement that it was due to "poor visibility" at the Kalibo airport that forced pilot Capt. Miguel Gomez to fly the Airbus 320 back to Manila for an emergency landing. "The airplane's underbelly sustained minor damage after grazing the airport's perimeter fence," the PAL statement said, adding that none of the passengers were hurt. However, the plane’s aborted landing created a sudden draft that blew a passing tricycle a few meters off the road. The driver and passenger of the tricycle, couple Richard and Margie Rubin, were rushed to the St. Gabriel Hospital, with PAL shouldering all medical expenses. The plane successfully returned to the NAIA, where medical, fire, and rescue airport personnel were waiting. "The aircraft is currently undergoing thorough inspection at the hangar of Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP), PAL's maintenance service provider," PAL said. In a separate interview with GMANews.TV, PAL branch manager for Kalibo Victor Reyes said a replacement flight flew the affected passengers safely to Kalibo at 2 p.m.—Mark D. Merueñas, GMANews.TV