At least 47 reported killed in Laos plane crash

R.I.P to those 47 passengers

May I reminisce? In 1974 I flew in a DC-3 from Savannakhet, Laos to Vientiane. The pilot was French and I think the airline was Air America, aka CIA. It was a former gunship with the machine gun mount still on the left side. No gun, though. The main door had been removed and there were no seats. In the aft of the cabin was a tied-up calf being taken to a feast in the capital. The 20 or so passengers, me included, stood all the way. Forget seat belt. The pilot before takeoff shooed us to stand over the wing for balance purposes. Compare that with present-day flying in a commercial airliner. Great ride.

Sad, I rather enjoy the ATR-72. They've been doing so well since their initial icing issues were fixed. The final report will be of interest.

All these news stories on your website have already been covered.

How sad, about to land and getting pushed by a sudden gust of stormy wind !
RIP you 49 souls ! !
:-( :-(

This a/c is equipped with Wind Shear Detection system... Was it on Deferral, or the the crew just blew it... All pilots are trained on Wind Shear Awareness and how to handle it...

RIP to those who lost their lives and prayers out to the surviving families.

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Laos ATR crashes in river, casualties reported

A Laos ATR-72 crashed on approah to an airport in Champasak Province, in Laos, on Wednesday afternoon local time. Tw plane had taken off from Vientiane, the capital, earlier.

http://jansaviation.com/news.php?art=laos-atr-crashes-in-river-casualies-reported

'was caused by "wind shear," an airline official said.'
Maybe.

Once they actually find the wreckage and remove the black boxes, we'll have a more definite info and can determine a causal chain.

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Laos plane crash: some bodies recovered, but wreckage yet to be located in Mekong River

Recovery teams have retrieved a number of bodies from the site of a plane crash in Laos which killed 49 people.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-18/two-australians-reportedly-among-bodies-recovered-at-laos-plane/5030294

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Bodies Recovered From Lao Airlines Crash

Rescuers in small fishing boats and inflatable rafts were combing through the murky waters of Mekong River on Thursday after the Lao Airlines Crash. Officials fear the worst and have ruled out the possibility of finding survivors, killing all 49 people from 11 countries.

“Eight bodies have been found”, some as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the crash site according to Yakao Lopangkao director-general of Lao’s Department of Civil Aviation. The plane however, hasn’t been found as it is assumed to be underwater. ”We’re trying to use divers to locate it.” Thailand, which boarders Laos, sent as many as 30 divers to help with the search.

http://www.planecrashes.org/bodies-recovered-from-the-lao-airlines-crash.html

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Plane Crashes in Laos, 49 on Board Believed Dead

A plane from Laos' state-run airline crashed in bad weather in the Southeast Asian nation, apparently killing 49 people from 11 countries, the government said.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thai-official-plane-crash-laos-kills-44-20585929

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Dozens Dead in Lao Airlines Crash

The Laos national news agency, KPL, is reporting that a Lao Airlines passenger plane crashed on October 16, 2013 as it attempted a landing in poor weather at an airport in southern Laos. The remnants of Typhoon Nari have been drenching the area with heavy rains and strong winds for the last few days, and eyewitnesses reported that the plane appeared to be buffeted by extremely strong winds as it approached the runway, pushing it away from the airport. The plane then reportedly went out of control and crashed onto an island in the middle of the Mekong River. All 49 passengers and crew were killed in the crash.

http://www.planecrashes.org/dozens-dead-in-lao-airlines-crash.html