Passenger on Talofa Airways flight that crashed tells of harrowing experience

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A passenger on Talofa Airways Flight 511 from Faleolo International Airport firmly believes that it was but for the grace of God that they survived when the plane landed and then crashed when its front wheel came off as it started to taxi down the tarmac at Pago Pago International Airport, at around 1:30pm on Sunday, July 21, 2024.

Lepapa Sosaiete Matai of Futiga was returning with his wife Mataua after attending the annual Methodist Church Conference in Samoa. There were six other passengers on the same flight.

According to Lepapa, the landing was smooth and they could feel the plane’s rear wheels touching the runway first, and then the front wheels.

However, about five seconds after the front wheels touched down and the plane was starting to taxi down the runway to the area where the passengers would disembark, they suddenly heard a loud noise and the plane tipped forward sliding on its nose on the runway.

“Remember this was about five seconds after landing and the plane was still going very fast when suddenly, it was sliding on its nose,” Lepapa recounted. “My wife was sitting next to the door which is right behind the cockpit and I was sitting directly across from the door.

“By then, the cries of terror from my wife and the other passengers, which included a palagi lady and a couple with their three children, were deafening. In fact, the cries started when we heard the loud bang as the front wheel gave way, and intensified as the plane slid on its nose.

“Pandemonium reigned when we saw the sparks flying backwards as metal came into contact with the runway. My heart went out to the three kids who were terrified and were clinging desperately to their parents.

“As for me, all I could think of was that death was near and my whole being cried out to God to have mercy on us and save us from a fiery death. I thought of my four kids and how I wanted to be there when they had families of their own, to hold my grandchildren in my arms.”

Lepapa recalled that while the accident was unfolding, the pilot was calmly trying to keep the plane upright when it looked like it was going to lean on its side as it slid forward, by steering the plane in the opposite direction.

He said that the pilot was a young man of about 28 to 30 years old and that he was a Tongan because he had told them when they greeted him in Samoan when they embarked on their journey.

“I take my hat off to the pilot,” Lepapa acknowledged. “He kept his cool the whole time and made sure the plane did not tip on its side and flip over. When it finally stopped, he climbed into the cabin and started to open the door but he was having trouble opening it, so I stood up and helped him by pushing outward while he wrestled the door lock to the side.

“When the door opened, he instructed us to exit the plane quickly and move to a safe distance from the plane, then he joined us after making sure no one was left inside. So we stood there about 50 meters from the plane, looking at it feeling dazed, stunned and suddenly feeling very weak after the intense adrenaline rush.

“It was like looking at the valley of death wondering how I had managed to traverse it. I thought of the saying that death can happen in a blink of an eye and thanked God for preventing that from happening. Because it would have been a very different site if the sparks had ignited the plane’s fuel or wiring circuits of the propellers.”

The father of four from Futiga said as soon as they were safely outside the plane, he had kept track of the time on his watch to see how long it would take for airport first responders to arrive at the scene.

As it turned out, Lepapa stated that it took exactly 22 minutes before a small four-door sedan with a trailer attached at the back that had luggage on it arrived. He deduced the luggage belonged to the passengers waiting to travel to Samoa on the plane they had arrived on.

He said about five minutes later, a double-cab truck belonging to the airport administration arrived on the scene.

“The first question the driver asked us when he got out was, ‘What was happening?’” Lepapa recounted. “I felt like slapping him for asking such a stupid question when it was obvious what had happened!”

In the end, Lepapa said that they were transported to the airport arrival section for immigration and customs clearance. 

He and his wife rode in the sedan towing the luggage trailer, while the rest of the passengers came in the truck with the adults in the double-cab, while the three children sat at the back.

He said that it was some time after they arrived that they finally saw the airport fire service making their way to the scene of the accident.

He expressed his disappointment at the unprofessionalism of the Talofa Airways management and the Airport Administration staff.

“I thought someone from the airline would come and apologize for the traumatic near-death experience we went through because they failed to identify and rectify the problem with their plane’s front wheel,” said a disgruntled Lepapa.

“I would have thought the airline’s management or at least a senior official would feel obligated to say something to the passengers whose lives were in danger because of their negligence.

“Then to add insult to injury, the response of the airport administration was incompetent and unprofessional to say the least. The first ones I expected to arrive at the scene was the airport fire service to make sure there was no danger of anything exploding.

“Secondly, I thought all passengers of an aircraft that crash lands should be checked by emergency medical personnel who are trained for these types of situations, to make sure they are alright physically and mentally. Why wasn’t the EMS notified?

“So we ended up going through immigration and customs clearance as if nothing had happened to the plane we arrived in. Then we went home feeling very thankful that we were going to meet our loved ones!”

According to a Talofa Airways official, their flights continued on Sunday after the accident although the remaining flights were delayed because of it.

Talofa Airlines currently has three aircraft servicing the Apia/ Pago Pago route, not the two previously reported by Samoa News.

Lepapa told Samoa News that something must be done to improve the services at the airport in case a real tragedy happens. 

He pointed out that in Samoa, the Faleolo Airport Authority conducts emergency drills almost every month to educate personnel and test emergency response plans. This is to ensure that everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency scenario like what happened to them.

“It was a traumatic experience and I’m not the same person I was before I went to Samoa,” he revealed. “The can’t dispel the feelings of hopelessness, despair and desperation I felt at the critical moment that the accident happened, especially when I lie down to sleep at night.

“There is no doubt that I have been affected mentally by the ordeal. So last night, I drank enough beer so I would immediately black out into oblivion when I lay down to sleep. But when I wake up in the morning after the accident, I thank God for hearing my plea that day. He is an awesome God!”