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| Date: | Friday 8 December 2023 |
| Time: | c. 12:30 |
| Type: |  Saab 340B |
| Owner/operator: | Lulutai Airlines |
| Registration: | A3-PUA |
| MSN: | 340B-408 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 39094 hours |
| Engine model: | GE CT7-9B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 38 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Nuku'alofa-Fua'Amotu International Airport (TBU/NFTF) -
 Tonga
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Nuku'alofa-Fua'Amotu International Airport (TBU/NFTF) |
| Vava'u-Lupepau'u Airport (VAV/NFTV) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Lulutai Airlines Saab 340B , registered A3-PUA, was conducting a scheduled regional passenger service from Fua’amotu International Airport, Tongatapu, to Lupepau’u Airport, Vava’u. On descent into Vava’u, the flight crew
identified an issue with the aircraft’s main hydraulic system not indicating pressure to some systems, and no indication of hydraulic fluid in the tank. The crew elected to return to Fua’amotu and were able to lower the aircraft’s landing gear with the auxiliary hydraulic system. After a successful landing, the aircraft lost brake pressure during the taxi to the domestic terminal, exiting the taxiway and impacting a disused refuelling bund,
collapsing the right landing gear leg. The 3 crew and 35 passengers were able to evacuate the aircraft without injury.
Contributing factors
- While taxiing to the terminal after landing, the aircraft lost wheel braking and directional control, resulting in the aircraft veering off the apron, impacting a disused refuelling installation bund.
- For reasons that could not be determined, between engines' start and descent, the circuit breaker providing power to the main hydraulic system pressure and quantity indicators, and inboard brakes hydraulic system pressure indicator, had tripped, removing power to those indicators.
- Likely due to expectancy, the first officer did not visually identify the tripped circuit breaker associated with the hydraulic system indicators while performing the initial hydraulic system troubleshooting.
- The crew misidentified that there was a hydraulic leak, and commenced the abnormal checklist for hydraulic fluid loss, which included turning off the hydraulic pump. As a result, no hydraulic pressure was automatically provided to the hydraulic system.
- While the crew reviewed sections of the hydraulic loss abnormal checklist during the emergency, they did not read all parts of the checklist. Further, the flight crew only had a basic understanding of the aircraft's hydraulic system. As a result, the flight crew had an incomplete appreciation of the limitations of the inoperative hydraulics
system.
- During the return to Fua'amotu, the flight crew made the decision to stop on the runway after landing in accordance with the abnormal checklist. During the approach, and after landing, the crew discussed the possibility of taxiing, and after the captain recognised that they had positive control of the aircraft on the ground and without a readily available aircraft tug, continued to taxi to the terminal.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://matangitonga.to/2023/12/08/passengers-screaming-lulutai-flight-slides-taxi-way-fuaamotu-after-vavau-landing-aborted
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/09/no-passengers-injured-after-lulutai-airlines-plane-hits-cement-block/
https://www.havkom.se/en/investigations/civil-luftfart/olycka-med-ett-flygplan-av-typen-saab-340b-pa-fuaamotu-flygplats-tonga
History of this aircraft
Ex VH-VEF, VH-VNX, N408XJ, SE-B08 Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 6 May 2020 | A3-PUA | Real Tonga Airlines | 0 | Vava'u-Lupepau'u Airport (VAV/NFTV) | |
unk |
| Bird strike | ||||||
| 19 August 2025 | VH-VEF | Link Airways | 0 | 21 km NW of Sunshine Coast Airport, QLD (MCY) |  |
non |
| Engine failure | ||||||
Location
Media:
Tongan official on crash: "The aircraft landed safely at Fua’amotu, and the incident occurred while taxiing on the apron. There were 35 passengers on board. No passengers were injured or physically harmed."https://t.co/SoBMux8yuQ pic.twitter.com/QICn4Jayfr
— Michael Field (@MichaelFieldNZ) December 8, 2023
Thanks to Tonga’s ongoing government farce, Lulutai Airlines plane with 34 passengers aboard & three crew, went off a taxiway at Fua'amotu, crashing into an unused swimming pool. Why there is a great hunk of concrete next to a taxiway is unknownhttps://t.co/EPhvobcotv pic.twitter.com/XCUHuHRza1
— Michael Field (@MichaelFieldNZ) December 10, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Dec-2023 06:54 | gerard57 | Added |
| 08-Dec-2023 07:29 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, ] |
| 08-Dec-2023 07:36 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 08-Dec-2023 07:52 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Phase, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Dec-2023 07:43 | gerard57 | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 09-Dec-2023 07:43 | gerard57 | Updated |
| 10-Dec-2023 22:14 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 11-Dec-2023 08:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 19-Jan-2024 15:43 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 20-Jan-2024 10:49 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, ] |
| 18-Feb-2025 22:57 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 29-Jun-2025 19:03 | ASN | Updated [Total occupants, Location, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 30-Jun-2025 11:50 | ASN | Updated |
| 21-Aug-2025 15:10 | ASN | Updated |
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