PAL flight finally reaches Kalibo after aborted landing, plane switch

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 14:55:00 08/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines –(UPDATE) A Philippine Airlines flight aborted its landing at the Kalibo airport in Aklan on Tuesday morning after the aircraft experienced a hydraulic problem.

PAL flight PR-321 returned to Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 10:38 a.m. It earlier left NAIA Terminal 2 at around 8:52 a.m.

According to reports from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippine and the NAIA’s operator, the Manila International Airport Authority, the pilot, a certain Captain Gomez, decided to cancel the landing after he heard something burst underneath the plane at around 9:45 p.m.

The pilot radioed the Manila air control tower that he was heading back to the NAIA. The flight, which carried 127 passengers and six crew, was given emergency status.

The aircraft, an Airbus Industry A320, landed safely at around 10:43 a.m. at the NAIA Runway 13-31, where teams from the airport’s fire and rescue groups and medical units had been waiting.

The pilot was able to taxi the plane to Bay 22 parking area where the passengers and crew were off-loaded. The passengers were transferred to another aircraft; they left NAIA at around 1:03 p.m. and reached Kalibo at around 2:32 p.m.

According to the CAAP and the MIAA, aircraft mechanics who checked the plane found that there was a hydraulic leak at the plane’s right landing gear.