Date: August 8th,1987
Type: B737-2P5
Registration: TH365
Operator: Thai Airways
Where: Phuket; off (Thailand)
Report No.: ICAO Circular 259-AN/153(97-118)
Report Date: -
Pages: -

Thai Flight 365 was approaching Phuket VOR/DME on radial 119 after a flight from Hat Yai. At the same time Dragon Air Flight 203 (a Boeing 737 registered VR-HYL, carrying 62 occupants) also approached Phuket VOR/DME on radial 090. At 08.34h UTC Dragonair 203 reported at 2500ft with Thai 365 in sight in front of them. The Thai Boeing was flying at 3000ft at the time, and was 13mls from Phuket VOR/DME. Dragonair 203, first priority in apporoach sequence, then turned right at 12 DME and was going to turn inbound for finals for Runway 27. The Thai crew surmised that the other crew were making a false position report to gain landing priority and reported hurriedly that they were at 8 DME inbound and requested visual approach, though they hadn't reached 8 DME yet. This forced Phuket Approach to give Thai 365 landing priority at 08.35h The Dragonair crew (flying IFR) immediately warned that the Thai plane couldn't descend through their flight level. Concentrating on the conflicting traffic the speed decayded to 163kts until the stick shaker activated. The Thai crew then applied power and raised the landing gear, but the aircraft entered a stall crashed into the sea, disintegrating on impact. The aircraft had flown 16963:48hrs and made 10864 landings. PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot slowed the aircraft and it stalled while the pilot prepared to be number one on landing as advised by Phuket approach control. It appears that he was worrying and not sure whether he could make number one landing because the pilot if number two aircraft in sequence gave warning that the number one aircraft ahead was above him and could not descendpassing through his level. The pilot added power and raised the gear after stick shaker activated but didnot execute a recovery before hitting the sea." Source: ICAO Circular 259-AN/153(97-118); AL250