Bangkok, Thailand (CNN): 'Wind shear' suspected in Laos crash that killed 49

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Five bodies recovered from Lao Airlines crash, 44 still missing
  • Flight was headed from Vientiane to Pakse, Laos, Thai official says
  • Remnants of Typhoon Nari have been hitting the area
  • The plane was preparing to land amid heavy gusts of wind and rain
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Lao Airlines is investigating that possibility that a plane crash that killed 49 people Wednesday was caused by "wind shear," an airline official said. Wind shear -- a sudden change in wind speed or direction over a short distance -- has been a factor in many air disasters.
Chalerm Taiyalad, a Lao Airlines vice-president, said it was raining heavily at the time Flight QV301 was approaching for landing at Pakse Airport, near the Thai border, after departing from the capital Vientiane.
The plane was a twin-engine turboprop ATR 72, similar to this Lao Airlines ATR-72 500, photographed in 2011.Gusts from the remnants of Typhoon Nari appeared to have caused the pilots to lose control of the ATR 72 aircraft, he said. The ATR 72 propeller plane was preparing to land when a gust of wind appeared to push it away from the airport, and it crashed on or near an island in the Mekong River, reported KPL, the national news agency. read more
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