A jet flying under British Airways colours has dramatically crash landed in South Africa after part of its landing gear reportedly broke off. One passenger reported seeing sparks flying as the left wing of the Boeing 737 ‘scraped across the runway’ as it came into land at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg earlier today.
Fire crews rushed to the aircraft, run by the franchisee Comair, after it touched down and the 94 people on board used the plane’s emergency staircase as they were led to safety.
Passenger Warren Mann told Traveller24 how the pilot informed those on board shortly before landing that the ‘left landing gear had broken off’.
He added: ‘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 stairscase.’
British Airways told MailOnline that the incident involved a flight owned and operated by the franchise Comair, based in South Africa, which flies under BA colours.
A Comair spokesman said this morning that nobody had been hurt in the incident.
‘British Airways’ (operated by Comair) 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 just after 12:00 pm today.
‘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 on hand.
‘Comair and the relevant authorities will be conducting the necessary investigation over the coming days and weeks. As soon we have more information on hand we will be releasing it to the media.’
A spokesman for Airports Company SA, which operates nine of South Africa’s airports, told News24 that passengers were facing short delays.
He said: ‘OR Tambo is currently using an alternative runway to ensure flights are able to leave the airport. For safety and security reasons we will have to close that runway [where the aircraft is].’
Daily Mail
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