Flight PK231 from Islamabad via Peshawar came to the end of it’s flight life as it veered off the side of the runway at Dubai airport after the right hand main gear collapsed as it touched down. The aircraft skidded and eventually came to rest in sand 50 meters from the runway. It sustained permanent damage to its right wing structure and it’s no. 2 engine, which partly broke off the wing.
According to a press release by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the approach and landing of the aircraft was normal, but during the landing roll, the aircraft left the
right side of the runway at slow speed and came to rest on the unprepared surface 50 meters away from the runway facing 90 degree to the landing direction. All 193 passengers and 11 crew evacuated safely. The aircraft sat at Dubai airport for some time alongside a Russian aircraft that had also sustained damage during a landing. Both were partially dismantled and taken to another location next to the creek, where they sat until loaded on to barges to be transported out into the Gulf where they were deliberately sunk as artificial reefs and dive sites.
The exact whereabouts of the Russian aircraft is unknown, however the PIA A300 remains are now situated in 10 meters of water, just off the end of Jumeirah Palm, (N25 08.358
E55 06.430) and can be dived through Atlantis Dive Centre.
The dive itself is very easy and suitable for novice or open water divers with little experience. Descent is made down the anchor line to the bottom. As there is usually some current here, it is advisable to hold on to this line until you reach the bottom.
Visibility is generally good first thing in the morning, however it does deteriorate later when making a second dive. Bring a snack for the surface interval. One section of the fuselage is still fairly intact and lays alongside some collapsed section and both wings. There is a lot of fish life around and I have spotted a small school of barracuda swimming around.
The main attraction for photographers is definitely the macro life, with plenty of blennies and gobies as well as a unique nudibranch only found in the Gulf, Chromodoris cazae.
Published in June 2011
