ExpWayVis31
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Bombardier Q400s grounded after two emergency landings in three days
1 minute ago
TORONTO (CP) — Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD) is recommending many of its Q400 turboprop planes worldwide be grounded immediately after a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft skidded off a runway with 52 people aboard Wednesday, the second such incident in three days.
The recommendation from the Montreal-based company and landing gear manufacturer Goodrich Corp. calls for inspections of planes that have taken off and landed more than 10,000 times - about 60 of the 160 Q400s used by airlines worldwide.
The Scandinavian Airlines plane smashed one wing into the ground after its right-side landing gear failed to lower during an emergency landing in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Pilots attempted to land the plane on its front and left landing gear when the right set of wheels failed to lower, airport authorities said.
The crew made all passengers sit on the left side of the plane for fear that the right propeller might break into pieces and puncture the cabin.
None of the 48 passengers or four crew members were hurt.
Three days earlier, five people were injured when another Scandinavian Airlines Q400 crash-landed and caught fire in Aalborg, Denmark.
Bombardier spokesman Bert Cruickshank said Wednesday it's too soon to tell what exactly went wrong.
"We have our technical and product safety people working with the operator and working with the authorities," he told The Canadian Press.
A Bombardier statement said an air safety representative has been sent to Lithuania to help in the investigation.
Transport Canada has been briefed on the situation and will recommend further "corrective actions" if they're required, the statement said.
Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS, immediately grounded its fleet of turboprops and cancelled more than 100 flights Wednesday.
"This is very serious," SAS spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi said. "The background to our decision is the accident in Denmark on Sunday."
She added, "A lot of people have to be rebooked since a lot of flights will be cancelled."
Cruickshank stressed the inspections are a precautionary measure.
"Our plan would be to minimize the impact by performing inspections as soon as possible so that each of those aircraft, in conjunction with their operators, can be inspected and returned to service," he said.
He added the turboprop has a good safety record and has clocked more than a million flight hours.
"It has proven itself over the past several years to be a good, reliable aircraft."
Last year and earlier this year, Japanese airlines experienced a rash of landing-gear problems with turboprop planes made by the Montreal-based manufacturer of regional airliners, business jets and railway equipment, which had sales of US$14.8 billion in its latest financial year.
1 minute ago
TORONTO (CP) — Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD) is recommending many of its Q400 turboprop planes worldwide be grounded immediately after a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft skidded off a runway with 52 people aboard Wednesday, the second such incident in three days.
The recommendation from the Montreal-based company and landing gear manufacturer Goodrich Corp. calls for inspections of planes that have taken off and landed more than 10,000 times - about 60 of the 160 Q400s used by airlines worldwide.
The Scandinavian Airlines plane smashed one wing into the ground after its right-side landing gear failed to lower during an emergency landing in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Pilots attempted to land the plane on its front and left landing gear when the right set of wheels failed to lower, airport authorities said.
The crew made all passengers sit on the left side of the plane for fear that the right propeller might break into pieces and puncture the cabin.
None of the 48 passengers or four crew members were hurt.
Three days earlier, five people were injured when another Scandinavian Airlines Q400 crash-landed and caught fire in Aalborg, Denmark.
Bombardier spokesman Bert Cruickshank said Wednesday it's too soon to tell what exactly went wrong.
"We have our technical and product safety people working with the operator and working with the authorities," he told The Canadian Press.
A Bombardier statement said an air safety representative has been sent to Lithuania to help in the investigation.
Transport Canada has been briefed on the situation and will recommend further "corrective actions" if they're required, the statement said.
Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS, immediately grounded its fleet of turboprops and cancelled more than 100 flights Wednesday.
"This is very serious," SAS spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi said. "The background to our decision is the accident in Denmark on Sunday."
She added, "A lot of people have to be rebooked since a lot of flights will be cancelled."
Cruickshank stressed the inspections are a precautionary measure.
"Our plan would be to minimize the impact by performing inspections as soon as possible so that each of those aircraft, in conjunction with their operators, can be inspected and returned to service," he said.
He added the turboprop has a good safety record and has clocked more than a million flight hours.
"It has proven itself over the past several years to be a good, reliable aircraft."
Last year and earlier this year, Japanese airlines experienced a rash of landing-gear problems with turboprop planes made by the Montreal-based manufacturer of regional airliners, business jets and railway equipment, which had sales of US$14.8 billion in its latest financial year.
