British Airways plane suffers wheel collapse at Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB)
Passengers on board the British Airways Comair plane that made an emergency landing at Johannesburg Airport have praised the "hero" pilot who saved their lives by touching down without any landing gear.
Jason Saunders, who was on the flight, said the female pilot did "super well" in keeping them safe.
This comes after other passengers described the "scary" landing, which took 15-20 seconds to come to a halt.
The South African salesman, who was on a golfing trip with seven friends, said they are "thankful it ended without tragedy."
He told the Mirror Online: "The landing was hair raising to say the least but in my opinion the pilot did super well by keeping us safe.
"No injuries to report from the landing but what happened was that the landing gear on the left side collapsed causing the engine to make contact with the runway.
"British Airways have been very accommodating to me and my traveling companions and are taking good care of us.
"We all realise this incident could have been worse but are thankful it ended without tragedy.
Another passenger on board told of how they skidded along the runway for 15-20 seconds before they nearly slid into a side spin.
Michael Smith, who was also on the golfing holiday, told us: "As we landed the impact of the plane was on the runway, on the left hand side.
"You could feel and you could hear it, the landing gear gave way and the plane started skimming.
Michael Smith.
The dramatic account came as others described how the plane skidded on the runway as oxygen masks began to fall from above their heads.
They told of the terrifying moment their pilot announced there had been a mechanical failure - before the aircraft caught fire.
Warren Mann was one of the 94 people on the BA6234 flight which was grounded at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg today.
The plane, operated by Comair, had suffered a failure with the landing gear shortly after it came into the runway.
Warren told Traveller24 how the plane landed at an angle and how he saw sparks flying as it hit the tarmac.
He said: "This caused the plane to hit the runway at an angle. We could see sparks as the left wing and the engines were scraped across the runway.
"The wing seemed completely broken off."
"We were met by fire and rescue operation who continued to spray the plane and we then disembarked via an emergency staircase."
He posted a picture on Facebook of the oxygen masks that were released from the overhead lockers during the crash.
Mr Mann wrote alongside them: "My first emergency landing in my life, plane landing gear snapped, and engine on fire. "I survived."
Renaldo Gouws, a friend of Mr Mann's, posted that the engine had gone up in flames.
He wrote: "Flight from PE to Johannesburg had massive landing gear failure and engine caught fire.
"Everyone seems to be fine. They are being rescued from the plane as we speak."
Other passengers at the airport face delays after an alternative runway is being used.
The plane, flight number BA6234, was traveling from Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, to Johannesburg.
It is currently at a standstill after its main wheel collapsed underneath.
A spokesman for Comair said: "Comair confirms that flight BA6234 a 10:35 departure from Port Elizabeth, with 6 Crew and 94 Passengers on board, was involved in an incident on landing at OR Tambo International Airport today.
Michael Smith
Emergency: Fire crews and emergency services rushed to the scene
"We can confirm that all passengers and crew safely disembarked with no reported injuries. Passengers have been taken to the terminal building where staff are currently on hand assisting them."The incident involving a Boeing 737-400, registration ZS-OAA experienced a failure with the landing gear shortly after touching down.
"The aircraft was on the runway for a short period performing standard landing procedures when the crew noticed an unusual vibration which was followed shortly by the collapse of the left landing gear.
"ACSA emergency services were dispatched and responded to the scene immediately and assisted passengers and crew to safely disembark.
"The aircraft is currently on runway 03R and Comair and the relevant authorities are onsite making the necessary arrangements for the removal of the aircraft.
"For reasons of safety and security, the runway has been closed.
"Comair and the relevant authorities will be conducting the necessary investigation over the coming days and weeks."
No comments:
Post a Comment