Mixed emotions after missing doomed flight
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM PIRADA PASRIWONG
Missing your flight can sometimes be the best bit of luck that you will ever have in your whole life. Kratin Ramrong, 32, an employee at Phuket Rajabhat University, was supposed to be on board the One-Two-Go plane that crashed with the loss of so many lives in Phuket on Sunday.
She had travelled to visit her relatives in Bangkok last weekend and was scheduled to fly back to Phuket on Sunday on the ill-fated flight OG-269.
On Sunday morning she bought a tour package taking her on a trip around the Rattanakosin Old Town area and to Wat Phra Kaew and then on a boat trip along the Chao Phraya river to Koh Kret in Nonthaburi.
On the return trip, the boat was late and did not pick up its passengers on time. As she was definitely going to miss her flight, she contacted the tour agency and cancelled her reservation.
''It sent shivers down my spine to learn of the crash later in the evening. Despite being lucky, I could not feel happy when I found out how many people died,'' she said.
Several survivors yesterday gave their accounts of the crash.
Chavit Jitchamnong, 11, feels no joy at having survived. The boy and his father Chawalert narrowly escaped death but the boy lost his mother who died as the plane went up in flames.
A Prathom 6 student in Phuket, Chavit had travelled with his parents to Bangkok to attend an air-conditioner exhibition at Bitec exhibition centre.
The flight home was uneventful, he said, but as the aircraft touched down, it shook so violently that his mother, Siriputh, put him on her lap and held him as firmly as she could.
''Then the plane crashed. Everyone screamed. I collapsed on the floor and could not see my parents because of the thick smoke. Then I saw the flames rushing in,'' Chavit said.
He saw light coming from an opening near the wing and crawled toward it. He got outside, where he met his father.
''I am still sad. I wanted to help my mother but I couldn't. There was a lot of smoke,'' Chavit said. ''I would be much happier if I could have my mother back.''
Prinvit Chusaeng, 23, a hotel worker, was another survivor. He said the accident happened very quickly and the violent crash knocked some passengers unconscious. That was why so many did not escape, he said.
Chatri Suksawat, 26, from Phangnga, said the pilot did not issue any warnings before the plane landed. The atmosphere inside the plane was normal, he said.
However, he said he noticed there was gusting wind and rain outside.
''When the plane hit the earth embankment, my girlfriend and I ran for the emergency exit. I used my leg to force open the exit and left the plane minutes before it was engulfed in flames.''
Bangkok Post