Air crew ‘off duty’ over crash landing at Manchester Airport
08.03.08
A pilot and co-pilot with Hong Kong airline Dragonair have been removed from flying duties after a Boeing 747-400 freighter plane damaged three of its four engines landing at Manchester Airport in high winds, the airline said today. The plane burst a tyre and its engines were badly damaged as it touched down at 01:27 last Saturday on what was understood to have been a second attempt following one fly-around because of the severe gusts.
Neither the captain nor the first officer on board the Dragonair jet was injured in the incident. The cowlings, or covers, of three of the Boeing's four engines were damaged. An investigation has been launched into the accident, which took place on a day of severe windstorms across Europe.
The accident involved a flight from Dubai to Manchester operating on a Cathay Pacific freighter route wet-leased to Dragonair - meaning Cathay Pacific hired the plane and cockpit crew from Dragonair. Only the captain and co-pilot were on board the flight. The runway at Manchester Airport was closed for almost an hour as debris from the accident was cleared away. The damage to the Boeing is expected to take weeks to repair.
A Dragonair spokeswoman stressed that the two pilots, understood to include a female captain, had not been formally suspended. She said it was ‘normal practice’ for crew to be removed from duty after an accident to assist the investigation. She added: ‘Also, sometimes crew involved might experience stress from the incident and are in need of professional counselling prior to returning to flying duties.'
The Dragonair spokeswoman said the airline was cooperating with British civil aviation officials as they investigated the accident. She added that Dragonair expected the aircraft, which is undergoing repairs in Manchester, to be back in service by the third week of March.
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