PMT

I thought I would blog about PMT… the airline that is…
In this case PMT stands for Progress Multi-trade airlines… I think I posted a photo of their logo on my flickr site, as it entertained me…
Anyone who knows me will know I dislike flying… and small airlines, particularly those operated in developing countries, are not ones that inspire me with confidence, more like deep dread…
Yesterday the paper reported that a PMT plane (a sturdy Russian Antonov of course) flying into Ratanakiri had engine failure, and so was diverted back to PP, where the airport could actually manage an emergency landing, as Ratanakiri isn’t much more than a dirt runway… apparently Antonovs can fly with only one engine (???). So it made it back to PP and proceeded to land safely (unlike last November when a PMT plane crash landed off the end of the runway…. injuring several of the passengers)… PMT said that the engine failed due to human error… the mechanic forgot to screw the oil cap back on…. Duh
In conclusion I shall not be flying PMT air…

http://aviation-safety.net/index.php is an interesting database of all air accidents ever… and is useful for vetting dodgy airlines… if you’re paranoid… yupyupyup that’s me