Bombardier has recommended immediate inspections of all Bombardier Q400s with more than 10,000 landing-gear cycles after SAS suffered a second accident on landing within three days.
The extent of the work required was not immediately clear, but at least 60 aircraft are expected to be affected. SAS describes the aircraft as being "grounded" pending the individual inspections.
 |
|---|
The aircraft had been operating flight SK2748 from Copenhagen to Palanga in Lithuania when the accident occurred at 01:36 today, 12 September.
SAS says: "The aircraft experienced technical difficulties and the crew decided to divert to Vilnius Airport in Lithuania where the accident occurred at 01:36 local time today.
"Although no further details of the accident are available at the moment we can confirm that there are 48 passengers and four crew onboard. All passengers were evacuated after landing and no injuries are reported."
It says: "The Canadian manufacturer of the Q400, Bombardier, is in the process of developing an inspection programme. As a precautionary measure, Bombardier is highly recommending that all aircraft worldwide of this type with 10,000 landing gear cycles or more will be grounded until the recommended inspection is carried out.
"Scandinavian Airlines and Wideroe have already decided to ground the entire fleet of Q400s aircraft until further notice. No aircraft will be released for operations until these inspections have been carried out on all aircraft."
Flight’s ACAS database lists 61 aircraft with more than 10,000 airframe cycles. SAS itself, with 20, and Alaska Air’s Seattle-based Horizon Air subsidiary with 17 are the worst affected carriers.
Augsburg Airways of Germany and Austrian Airlines’ regional unit Austrian Arrows each have six aircraft affected, and there are smaller numbers at Air Nippon Network and Japan Air Commuter in Japan, Flybe of the UK, and Royal Jordanian Xpress in Jordan.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
