According to Myanmar media reports, at about 9 a.m. local time on April 20, a thrilling ground accident occurred at Yangon International Airport in Myanmar. A Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) ATR 72-600 passenger plane was suspected of having a brake system failure during taxiing.Unable to control the speed, it hit a parked Airbus A319 passenger plane and a luggage trailer. Both planes and the trailer were damaged.
The ATR-72 passenger plane involved was taxiing to fly a domestic route. According to reports, after the aircraft made an abnormal noise on the taxiway, the brake system was suspected to have malfunctioned, and the crew was unable to slow down effectively.
The plane deviated from the taxiing route and first hit the tail of a Myanmar Airlines International (MAI) Airbus A319 parked on the apron. It did not stop after the impact and continued to slide forward. Finally, it hit a nearby luggage trailer before it came to a complete stop.
The MAI Airbus A319 that was hit was parked at the time, and the tail part of the aircraft was damaged. The nose and landing gear area of the MNA ATR-72 that caused the accident also suffered obvious damage, and the luggage trailer was knocked over.Fortunately, the accident did not cause any casualties and the passengers and crew on board were safely evacuated.
After the accident, some flights at Yangon International Airport were affected, and the airport closed the relevant areas for cleaning. The Myanmar Civil Aviation Department has intervened in the investigation and will focus on verifying whether there is a mechanical failure in the ATR-72 passenger plane's braking system and whether the crew's handling procedures in emergency situations comply with regulations.
It is understood that the ATR 72 series is a turboprop regional passenger aircraft jointly developed by the French ATR company and the Italian Alenia company. It is operated by many airlines around the world. Ground accidents caused by mechanical failures have also occurred before.