Chinese jetliner makes hard landing in Philippines

A Xiamen Airlines jetliner made a hard landing in the Philippines after several attempts during a heavy thunderstorm on Thursday, sliding off the runway and losing its left engine.

Xinhua News Agency cited a source saying the landing gear may have failed, which might have caused the engine to strike the ground and the aircraft to lose control. The plane, a Boeing 737-800, slid into a grassy area adjacent to the runway.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement that it has sent a team to assist the investigation.

The flight took off from Xiamen, Fujian province, at 9:23 pm on Thursday. It made several landing attempts before coming down hard at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila a little before midnight.

There were 157 passengers and eight crew members — including a South Korean captain — on board when the accident happened, according to the administration’s statement. All 165 people were evacuated, and there were no injuries, it said.

The local airport authority told Xinhua that the passengers and crew are now billeted in a hotel.

According to the joint statement by the Manila International Airport Authority, which operates the airport in Manila, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the aircraft swerved off the runway and onto the grass at the Manila international airport after a “missed approach” due to a “heavy downpour”.

According to real-time aviation information website Airlive, a flight map showed the plane had attempted to land several times in a strong thunderstorm.

According to Xinhua, Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said the affected runway was closed until 4 pm on Friday. A total of 12 flights were canceled on Friday morning because of the accident.

Apolonio said the plane will remain in place at Ninoy Aquino International Airport until the investigation is completed.