Latest news with #TransportSafetyInvestigationBureau
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Singapore's SMRT fined S$3m over six-day East-West Line disruption that derailed train and hit 500,000 commuters daily
SINGAPORE, June 4 — Singapore rail operator SMRT will be fined S$3 million (RM9.9 million) for a six-day disruption on the East-West Line in September 2024 that affected about 500,000 train journeys daily, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced. LTA said the fine is proportionate given the circumstances, including SMRT's costs for repairs and free bus and shuttle services during the disruption between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations, according to a report in The Straits Times today. The disruption began on September 25, 2024, when a train's axle box — a component linking the wheels to the axle — dislodged near Dover station while being withdrawn from service. The dislodged part caused a bogie to derail, severely damaging 2.55km of track and equipment such as power cables and the third rail that supplies electricity to trains. Investigations found that degraded grease likely caused the axle bearings to overheat, leading to the failure of the axle box and its mounting chevron springs, which then disintegrated due to the heat. A monitoring system detected an abnormally high temperature of 118°C on the affected axle box earlier that day, but a system error prevented SMRT from identifying the train, and no action was taken. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau also investigated and considered two potential causes: failure of the bearings due to degraded grease, or deterioration of the chevron springs, but could not determine the more likely cause due to extensive damage. LTA noted that SMRT had extended overhaul intervals for the train from the required 500,000km to 750,000km by 2024, with the affected train having travelled 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018. The authority said timely overhaul could have detected degraded grease earlier, and has since tightened oversight of maintenance schedule changes for critical systems. Following the incident, SMRT overhauled all similar trains with over 500,000km mileage and introduced improvements including better temperature monitoring, alert systems, and reduced train withdrawal speeds. All remaining first-generation Kawasaki trains will be phased out by September, and future train purchases will include longer buffers for potential supply disruptions. Train services resumed on October 1, 2024, after extensive restoration work was completed.
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Analysis: Are fines the most effective punishment for train disruptions?
SINGAPORE: Public transport operator SMRT faces a S$3 million (US$2.3 million) fine over a major incident on its East-West Line last year. But experts told CNA that in Singapore's context, it would be more crucial to relook the dynamic between operators and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). For example, a question that needs to be asked is who should be responsible for making decisions on the trade-off between reliability and cost effectiveness, said one observer. Their comments came after the LTA and the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) released reports on Tuesday (Jun 3) detailing the factors that contributed to the six-day disruption in September 2024. These included the maintenance schedule for the incident train being extended beyond stipulated intervals. 'I think the more important thing is not the fine, but what will be done at SMRT as well as at LTA to implement improved processes for evaluating maintenance decisions and monitoring reliability,' said Associate Professor Walter Theseira of the Singapore University of Social Sciences' business school. Transport fares and public funds go towards the running of Singapore's trains, and hence "it is not wrong" to seek more cost-effective ways of maintenance, he said. 'But there may need to be more oversight and collaboration between the operator and LTA in making these decisions.' The authority said on Tuesday that since the September incident, it has strengthened oversight of areas such as operators' internal procedures to adjust maintenance schedules. Assoc Prof Theseira added that he did not think operators and their management were motivated by trying to avoid fines. When deciding how big a fine to impose, LTA said it took into consideration the costs that SMRT bore for repairs and providing free bridging buses, regular bus services and shuttle train services. These came up to more than S$10 million. An estimated 500,000 out of 2.8 million train journeys were affected on each day of the disruption. Services were disrupted along nine stations from Boon Lay to Queenstown. Associate Professor Raymond Ong, a transport infrastructure researcher at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said the S$3 million fine was appropriate given the number of stations affected. He noted that a bigger fine was given for an incident in 2015 that took down the entire North-South Line and East-West Line for hours. Past fines for train disruptions and incidents In 2018, SMRT was fined a total of S$1.9 million over the Bishan Tunnel flooding incident in 2017 as well as a separate accident near Pasir Ris station in 2016, which left two SMRT trainees dead. In 2015, SMRT was fined S$5.4 million for Singapore's worst train disruption at the time, which affected 413,000 commuters. This remains the largest fine to date. SMRT was found to be fully responsible for the incident and to have fallen short in maintenance – failing to address water seepage in the tunnel between Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place stations, for example. In 2014, SMRT was fined S$1.6 million for four incidents that took place over 2013 and 2014, which included SMRT train drivers running red light signals. SBS Transit was fined S$50,000 in 2014 for a 40-minute disruption caused by carelessness during maintenance works at Potong Pasir station. In 2013, both SMRT and SBS Transit were fined a total of S$1.1 million for incidents over 2012 and 2013. SMRT was fined S$860,000 for rail defects on the Circle Line, a safety breach at Ulu Pandan depot, its handling of a trackside fire at Newton Station (which incurred the highest fine of S$300,000) and for launching only three trains –instead of the scheduled four – from Bukit Panjang LRT Depot. SBS Transit was fined S$250,000 for a service disruption on the NEL which led to stranded commuters having to wait in the haze for shuttle bus services. In 2012, SMRT was fined S$2 million for two disruptions in Dec 2011 that affected 221,000 commuters. The effort spent to quickly and safely recover service while minimising disruption to commuters is a key mitigating factor, said Assoc Prof Ong. He said a fine was a 'logical and handy tool' that could be used, but also stressed it was more important for the operator and regulator to learn from the incident and improve maintenance regimes. Electrical engineering expert Teo Chor Kok however said the fine could be higher since there were multiple lapses, though he acknowledged that financial penalties were ineffective in leading to change. Noting that the stipulated overhaul interval for trains was 500,000 km, he questioned SMRT's decision to increase this twice and up to 750,000km a month before the incident. An overhaul refers to a complete tear-down and rebuild to restore a train to an "as-good-as-new" condition. By the time of the incident, the train had logged 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018. 'We can give (an) engineering error of 10 per cent, but 690,000km is (a gross) management lapse,' said Mr Teo. The extent of damage to the tracks – 46 rail breaks along a 2.55km stretch – signals that the operator did not stop the train when something was wrong, he added. TSIB noted in its report that this was due to staff believing that a high temperature warning was a false one, due to a system error not detecting which train was experiencing the issue. CNA also asked experts whether Singapore could consider Hong Kong's approach, where its train operator was made to give commuters a 50 per cent fare concession for a day due to three separate service disruptions this year. This was on top of a HK$19.2 million (S$3.2 million) fine. Assoc Prof Theseira pointed out that SMRT's S$3 million fine could be used to provide blanket concessions, but in Singapore's case, LTA has already announced that it will go towards helping needy commuters. He added that in Singapore, fare revenues alone do not cover the operating and maintenance costs for public transport operators. 'Reducing their fare revenue directly would just have the effect of later requiring more public funding to ensure operations are sustainable,' he said. This is why proposals to cut fares or stop fare increases don't produce the effect of "punishing" the operator, said Assoc Prof Theseira. 'In the end, public subsidies are required, so it is actually punishing the taxpayer.' ON THE OVERHAUL REGIME Assoc Prof Theseira said the findings on the causes of the incident pointed to a failure to fully understand the risks of adjusting the maintenance and overhaul regime of the train's axle boxes. One of these boxes had failed and dropped from the train and onto the tracks. LTA gives operators flexibility to make tweaks according to operation experience and engineering analysis because operating conditions differ, and the manufacturer's recommendations may not necessarily be appropriate, he said. Assoc Prof Ong noted that SMRT was in the process of overhauling its first-generation trains when the incident took place. 'It's unfortunate ... because they are already overhauling, and they are all queuing up to be overhauled.' President of SMRT Trains Lam Sheau Kai said on Tuesday that the operator's overhaul regime had served it well over the past 38 years. 'What may have caught us off-guard this time was the convergence of factors - delays in new train deliveries due to COVID-19, our efforts to balance and adjust overhaul schedules, and the lag in receiving critical spare parts.' He added that for 'rare, black swan events like COVID-19', it was important that SMRT and LTA come together to 'reassess collectively'. LTA has said that going forward, it will require rail operators to inform them of extensions to overhaul intervals. Assoc Prof Theseira said LTA might have been in a better position to question and oversee SMRT's decisions on maintenance schedules, though he acknowledged that the relationship was complex - because of the operator's need to, again, be both reliable and cost-effective. The operator is expected to take steps to manage costs, but it may be that LTA has more expertise and responsibility to make the decision together with SMRT, he said. 'We should certainly look at whether there was open communication between the operator and LTA on the operating constraints given the pandemic supply chain shortages and (the) need to keep operating the (first-generation) KHI trains,' he said. If SMRT had shortened the overhaul interval for the defective axle box, it could have prevented the entire incident - but there would have been costs involved, and not just monetary ones, said Assoc Prof Theseira. Fewer trains would be available for operations due to maintenance, meaning reduce capacity during peak periods. 'Decisions that would have avoided this would have had consequences of their own, that would also affect the public," he noted.
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
FAQ: All you need to know about the findings of the major East-West Line disruption in Sep 2024
SINGAPORE: Investigation findings for the six-day East-West Line disruption in September last year were released on Tuesday (Jun 3), with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) set to impose a S$3 million fine on train operator SMRT. CNA breaks down the key points of the reports released by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau as well as LTA. What happened in September? Disruptions started on Sep 25 last year when a defective part known as an axle box on a first-generation KHI train dropped onto the tracks, causing a bogie – or an undercarriage with wheels – to come off the running rail between the Dover and Clementi stations. This resulted in extensive damage to the tracks and other equipment, with a total of 46 rail breaks identified in a 2.55km stretch between Dover station and stretching beyond Clementi station, which took days to repair. An estimated 500,000 out of 2.8 million train journeys were affected each day during the disruption, with train services resuming six days later on Oct 1. How did SMRT respond then? SMRT activated free public bus and bridging shuttle bus services immediately when they understood that the train services would take some time to resume. They also took action to limit the affected sector between Buona Vista station and Jurong East station. Shuttle train services with 10-minute intervals operated between Boon Lay and Jurong East stations, as well as between Buona Vista and Queenstown stations. Station staff members and track repair workers were also reported to have gone above and beyond their call of duty – from providing commuters with directions and assistance to coordinating track repairs round the clock. What did further investigations find? The root cause of how the axle box failed could not be determined because key train components involved were too badly burnt and damaged in the incident, LTA said. These parts were: the axle box itself, which secures the wheels to the axle the axle bearings, which reduce friction so the wheels spin smoothly the chevron springs, which contain rubber to absorb shocks to keep the ride smooth The axle box had dislodged from the third carriage of the train, causing extensive damage to the tracks. Although the root cause could not be determined, the report concluded that the likely cause was degraded grease in the axle box, LTA said. The degraded grease could have increased wear and tear on the axle bearings, eventually causing overheating, potentially burning the rubber of the chevron springs. The chevron springs could have then progressively dropped off and eventually caused the axle box to dislodge, LTA added. The sequence of events was further substantiated by the Hotbox system, which is set up along the tracks on both the East-West Line and North-South Line. The system has been in place since 2014 and consists of a trackside infrared sensor. When a train runs by, the sensor measures the temperature of each axle box. It is an extra monitoring tool put in place by SMRT and not a requirement set by LTA. The system had detected higher temperatures on one of the axle boxes of the affected train before the incident. However, on the incident day, even though a warning was displayed in the maintenance engineering centre, the train identification number or train ID was not detected due to a system error. Instead, a 'Null ID' was indicated. This led the controller monitoring the system to believe the warning was a false one and no follow-up action was taken. How much of a factor was maintenance? The train in the incident was among 66 in SMRT's first-generation KHI fleet that were rolled out in the late 1980s. They are progressively being replaced by new Movia trains. Initially, 66 Movia trains were to be handed over to SMRT by March 2024, with the first fleet in October 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a delay of 1.5 years and the first Movia train was handed over only in May 2023. Upon receiving the first fleet of the new trains, SMRT began decommissioning the KHI trains. In the meantime, SMRT was required to continue carrying out regular maintenance for the KHI trains still in service, including preventive works and overhaul, which refers to a complete tear-down and rebuild to restore trains to a condition "as good as new". By the time of the incident on Sep 25, 18 KHI trains had been overhauled, but the incident train was not among them. The stipulated interval for an overhaul was 500,000km, but SMRT twice extended the interval – first to 575,000km in August 2022 and then to 750,000km in August 2024. At the time of the incident, the train had logged 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018. The extensions were carried out based on SMRT's internal procedures, LTA said. The authority also noted that since axle-box failures were not common, SMRT did not undertake a detailed engineering risk assessment on extending the overhaul interval for the axle box. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mr Lam Sheau Kai who is president of SMRT Trains said the operator's overhaul regime has served it well over the past 38 years. 'What may have caught us off-guard this time was the convergence of factors – delays in new train deliveries due to COVID-19, our efforts to balance and adjust overhaul schedules, and the lag in receiving critical spare parts.' What penalties were imposed? SMRT was fined S$3 million by LTA, an amount that was 'proportionate" to the incident's circumstances, the authority said. In determining the fine, LTA said it took into consideration that SMRT had borne the cost of repairs as well as provided free bridging buses, regular bus services and shuttle train services at the affected stations. SMRT also provided free travel to passengers alighting at Jurong East and Buona Vista stations during the six days of disruption. The total cost of SMRT's service recovery amounted to more than S$10 million. The financial penalty collected by LTA will go to the Public Transport Fund, which helps lower-income families with the spending on public transport fares. SMRT will have the opportunity to appeal the fine to the transport minister. What follow-up actions have SMRT and LTA taken since then? After the incident, SMRT pre-emptively withdrew all KHI trains that had exceeded 500,000km mileage since their last overhaul from service to undergo overhaul activities for axle boxes before they were put back into service. In consultation with LTA, SMRT has also starting using data analytics for earlier detection of abnormal axle-box temperatures, so that pre-emptive action can be taken. SMRT has also worked with the Hotbox system maker to rectify the Null ID indication issue. It now requires its maintenance engineering centre to share system warnings with the operations control centre. SMRT has also instituted that the withdrawal of trains back to the depot under such scenarios should occur at a slower speed of 35kmh to limit the potential damage to the tracks and trackside equipment. LTA was not involved in and did not review SMRT's proposed extensions to the overhaul intervals of the trains. The authority said that as an asset owner, it has since strengthened its oversight of operators' management of assets, including their internal procedures to adjust maintenance schedules. 'LTA and operators will work together for future overhaul decisions,' it added. Mr Lam from SMRT said that for 'rare, black swan events like COVID-19', it is important that SMRT the operator and LTA the asset owner come together to 'reassess collectively'. 'In hindsight, we could perhaps have exercised greater caution in how we managed the transition and decommissioning of the older trains,' he added.
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
SMRT to be fined S$3 million for operational, maintenance lapses which led to East-West Line disruption
SINGAPORE: Public transport operator SMRT will be fined S$3 million (US$2.33 million) fine due to lapses which led to an incident and subsequent six-day disruption along the East-West Line in September 2024. In a report released on Tuesday (Jun 3), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said these lapses included maintenance intervals being extended beyond stipulations, due to COVID-19 delays on new train arrivals. A warning system that malfunctioned on the day of the incident also could have prevented the disruption, according to a report from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) also released on Tuesday. On Sep 25, a defective component known as an axle box dropped from a train and onto the tracks, causing a bogie - or an undercarriage with wheels - to come off the running rail between Dover and Clementi MRT stations. This resulted in extensive damage to the tracks and other equipment, and disrupted MRT services along nine stations from Boon Lay to Queenstown. An estimated 500,000 out of 2.8 million train journeys were affected on each day, with train services resuming six days later on Oct 1. BEFORE THE INCIDENT The train in the incident was among 66 in SMRT's first-generation KHI fleet which were rolled out in the late 1980s. They are progressively being replaced by new Movia trains. Initially, 66 Movia trains were to be handed over to SMRT by March 2024, with the first batch in October 2021. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was a delay of 1.5 years, and the first Movia train was only handed over in May 2023. Upon receiving the first Movia trains, SMRT began decommissioning the KHI trains. But SMRT was required to continue carrying out regular maintenance for the KHI trains still in service, including preventive works and overhaul - which refers to a complete tear-down and rebuild to restore it to an "as-good-as-new" condition. But by the time of the incident on Sep 25, 18 KHI trains had been overhauled, but the incident train was not among them. The stipulated overhaul interval was 500,000km, but SMRT twice extended the interval: First to 575,000km in August 2022, and then to 750,000km in August 2024. At the time of the incident, the train had logged 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018. 'These extensions were carried out based on SMRT's internal procedures, and SMRT had relied on analysis of the performance of the KHI train fleet and their continued reliability in deciding on these extensions of the overhaul intervals for the incident train,' said LTA in its report. The authority also noted that since axle box failures were not common, SMRT did not undertake a detailed engineering risk assessment on extending the axle box overhaul interval. ON THE DAY ITSELF The root cause of the axle box failure could not be determined as key train components involved were too badly burnt and damaged in the incident, said LTA. These parts were the axle box itself, which secures the wheels to the axle; the axle bearings, which reduce friction so the wheels spin smoothly; and the chevron springs which contain rubber to absorb shocks to keep the ride smooth. They are part of the train's bogie, which is the wheel assembly under a train car. The bogie had come off the third carriage of the train, causing extensive damage to the tracks. A total of 46 rail breaks were identified in a 2.55km stretch between Dover station and stretching beyond Clementi station, which took days to repair. While the root cause could not be determined, investigations concluded that the likely cause was degraded grease in the axle box, said LTA. Grease is supposed to keep the components moving smoothly and prevent overheating. The grease can degrade when impurities enter, causing more friction than intended. This can increase wear and tear on axle bearings, eventually causing overheating and failure. The presence and location of burnt rubber and metal pieces from the chevron springs, found along the incident train's path of movement, indicate the axle box had generated sufficient heat to burn the rubber of the springs. The springs then progressively dropped off and eventually caused the axle box to dislodge, said LTA. Both LTA and TSIB noted the incident could have been prevented with a more timely overhaul of the train systems. 'Had the incident train been overhauled in a more timely manner, the condition of its axle box assemblies would have been checked and any degraded grease could have been replaced earlier,' said LTA. TSIB noted that SMRT's experience was that the axle boxes had been problem-free when its trains were overhauled at 500,000 km. 'However, when the overhaul interval was stretched beyond 500,000 km, the quality of the axle boxes and chevron springs, as well as their components, were no more assured,' said TSIB. OVERHEATING COMPONENT NOT PICKED UP TISB noted in its report that on the morning of the incident, the defective axle box reached a temperature of 118 degrees Celsius, much higher than the typical operating range of 30 to 65 degrees Celsius. This was detected by SMRT's Hot Axle Box Detection or Hotbox system, which is set up along the tracks on both the East-West and North-South lines. The system has been in place since 2014, and consists of a trackside infrared sensor which measures the temperature of each axle box when a train passes by. When the temperature of an axle box is detected to have exceeded a predefined value, the Hotbox system generates a warning. At the same time, an RFID sensor will detect which train is experiencing the issue. SMRT's standard operating procedure requires a train controller at the maintenance engineering centre to monitor the Hotbox system and take follow-up actions in response to warnings. On the incident day, a warning was displayed, but the train ID was not detected due to a system error. Instead, a 'Null ID' was indicated. The controller thus believed the warning was a false one, and did not take any follow-up action. TSIB said SMRT's prevailing procedures at the time of the incident, for resolving issues relating to the Hotbox system, were 'not robust enough'. The same issue of the train ID being undetected had occurred before, but the issue was not resolved, with staff treating these as false warnings. 'Operational staff could have been desensitised, resulting in diminished response to warnings and alerts over time,' TSIB concluded. Had the warning been followed up on, the incident might have been prevented as the train would likely have been withdrawn to the depot earlier, the bureau added. WHY A S$3 MILLION FINE In determining the S$3 million fine, LTA said it took into consideration that SMRT had borne the cost of repairs as well as provided free bridging buses, regular bus services and shuttle train services at the affected stations. SMRT also provided free travel to passengers alighting at Jurong East and Buona Vista stations for the six days of disruption. The total cost of SMRT's service recovery amounted to over S$10 million. The financial penalty collected by LTA will go to the Public Transport Fund, which helps lower-income families with their public transport expenditures. SMRT will have the opportunity to appeal the fine to the Minister for Transport. Past fines for train disruptions and incidents In 2018, SMRT was fined a total of S$1.9 million over the Bishan Tunnel flooding incident in 2017 as well as a separate accident near Pasir Ris station in 2016, which left two SMRT trainees dead. In 2015, SMRT was fined S$5.4 million for Singapore's worst train disruption at the time, which affected 413,000 commuters. SMRT was found to be fully responsible for the incident and to have fallen short in maintenance — failing to address water seepage in the tunnel between Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place stations, for example. In 2014, SMRT was fined S$1.6 million for four incidents that took place over 2013 and 2014, which included SMRT train drivers running red light signals. SBS Transit was fined S$50,000 in 2014 for a 40-minute disruption caused by carelessness during maintenance works at Potong Pasir station. In 2013, both SMRT and SBS Transit were fined a total of S$1.1 million for incidents over 2012 and 2013. SMRT was fined S$860,000 for rail defects on the Circle Line, a safety breach at Ulu Pandan depot, its handling of a trackside fire at Newton Station (which incurred the highest fine of S$300,000) and for launching only three trains — instead of the scheduled four — from Bukit Panjang LRT Depot. SBS Transit was fined S$250,000 for a service disruption on the NEL which led to stranded commuters having to wait in the haze for shuttle bus services. In 2012, SMRT was fined S$2 million for two disruptions in Dec 2011 that affected 221,000 commuters. LESSONS LEARNED After the incident, SMRT preemptively withdrew from service all KHI trains that had exceeded 500,000 km mileage since their last overhaul, LTA noted. They then underwent overhaul activities for axle boxes before being put back into service, and this was completed in October 2024. LTA has also developed an accelerated delivery programme for its new Movia trains, with the support of additional resources from SMRT and various contractors, to mitigate the delays from COVID-19. This will allow all KHI trains to be decommissioned by the third quarter of 2025. SMRT has also worked with the Hotbox system manufacturer to rectify the Null ID indication issue. It now requires its maintenance engineering centre to share system warnings with the operations control centre. In consultation with LTA, SMRT has also implemented the use of data analytics for earlier detection of abnormal axle box temperatures, so that pre-emptive action can be taken. TSIB also noted in its report that LTA was not involved in and did not review SMRT's proposed extensions to the overhaul intervals of the trains. LTA said that as asset owner, it has since strengthened its oversight of operators' management of assets, including their internal procedures to adjust maintenance schedules. 'LTA and operators will work together for future overhaul decisions,' said LTA. This means that LTA now requires rail operators to inform them of extensions to overhaul intervals. LTA will further conduct an audit to assess the completeness of rail operators' engineering assessment; and the appropriateness of any mitigating measures implemented such as operational adjustments, enhanced monitoring and increased maintenance, noted TSIB. A Rail Safety and Reliability Review Workgroup has also been set up by SMRT, LTA and the National Transport Workers' Union to review and enhance systems in areas such as life cycle management, asset renewal, system enhancements and maintenance practices across the rail ecosystem.
Malay Mail
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Final report pending as Singapore Airlines turbulence probe continues, ministry awaits radar analysis
SEOUL, May 27 — Singapore authorities said today that an investigation into a Singapore Airlines flight last year that hit turbulence, injuring dozens of people and killing one, was still awaiting analysis of the plane's weather radar systems. A 73-year-old passenger died of a suspected heart attack in the incident, which occurred after flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar. It was civil aviation's first death linked to airplane turbulence in 25 years and put seatbelt practices in the spotlight. It also prompted calls from the airline industry for improved turbulence forecasting as experts warn severe weather patterns brought about by climate change could lead to more incidents. An interim update of the investigation today said that, in addition to the death, 79 people were injured on the flight, which diverted to Bangkok with 211 passengers and 18 crew members aboard. The short update from Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, part of the transport ministry, was released a week after the one-year anniversary of the May 21, 2024 incident. The ministry said a final report would be issued once the investigation is complete. 'Components of the aircraft's weather radar system have been sent for examination and tests in the US,' the interim update said. Global aviation guidelines call for an initial report within 30 days of an accident and a final one ideally within a year. Failing that, investigators should issue interim statements on each anniversary. In a preliminary report last year, the transport ministry said rapid changes in gravitational forces over 4.6 seconds resulting in an altitude drop of 178 feet (54 metres) likely caused passengers and crew to become airborne and then fall, causing the injuries. Passengers on the flight, speaking after the incident, said that crew and those not strapped in left the floor or their seats and slammed into the cabin ceiling, cracking it in places. The Bangkok hospital that treated passengers said there were spinal cord, brain and skull injuries. — Reuters
