Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch said yesterday (May 26) that all the Thai Police Aviation Division’s planes were grounded until they pass fresh safety checks, reports the Bangkok Post.
“Two crashes in a month is shocking and the causes have not been determined yet,” he said.
“All aircraft will be grounded until they are proved to be ready for operation, so that pilots who have accumulated high fliying hours can be confident in performing their duty,” the national police chief said.
Pol Gen Kittharath said he will visit the Thai Police Aviation Division in Bang Khen district of Bangkok to discuss progress in the two crash investigations.
This would help him lay down guidelines for police aircraft maintenance, and to also decide it any aircraft should be decommissioned.
Nine people were killed in the two recent crashes of police aircraft.
A DHC6-400 Twin Otter crashed near the beach in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province on Apr 25, killing all six people onboard. The 16-seater, made in Canada in 2017, was on a test flight after maintenance.
On Saturday, a Bell 212 police helicopter crashed in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan and three people were killed. The police chief said the helicopter had been in use for about forty years.
The Police Aviation Division had purchased 10 Bell 212 helicopters and three of them were still in use, he said. They had been checked on Apr 13 and no problems were detected.