Pilot battles to land plane with 70 people after engine fails in strong winds
A heroic pilot battled to land a plane with 70 passengers onboard after the engine failed in strong winds.
The aircraft, which had taken off from Birmingham, was forced to land just after it departed at 3pm on Sunday May 25. A nail-biting video showed the Blue Islands flight, which was bound for Jersey, unsteadily rocking from side to side in the air while it fought 30mph crosswinds. The aircraft was seen approaching the ground before veering across the runway. Emergency crews scrambled to the plane, as a precaution, when it landed back at the airport it took off from.
Onlookers saw the propeller-driven plane lurch from side to side before it came to a stop. The pilot of the ATR 72 aircraft was praised after the safe landing.
Michael North said: "Absolutely insane level of control there. Three times he saved that from a slide and a possible rollover."
Stevie Vincent added: "The crew were using thrust reversal with the propeller. Because only one engine was operating, it caused the aircraft to yaw.
"He counteracted this with the use of brakes. It was not an intentional slide to slow the airframe."
And Jason Hammond said: "And that's why air pilots are worth all of the pay."
A Blue Islands spokesperson said: "Blue Islands flight SI2265 from Birmingham to Jersey returned safely to stand in Birmingham on Sunday (25 May).
"On departing Birmingham, the crew observed an indication which, following the standard operating procedure, the aircraft returned to stand and passengers disembarked normally. The aircraft is being attended to by our engineers."
The airline also explained what onboard crews did after the engine issue was noticed. The spokesperson added: "The safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our highest priority. The engine at no time stopped working in an uncontrolled way.
"The flight crew received a cockpit indication of a technical issue. They then followed the aircraft manufacturers' approved procedures to deal with that issue.
"These procedures have an abundance of caution built into them to ensure passenger safety."
This has not been the first time a plane has been forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines stopped working. A Ryanair flight, from Knock Airport from Milan Bergamo, Italy, had to divert to Dublin Airport, in July 2024.
The aircraft was said to have experienced "strong vibrations" on its left engine which caused it to be briefly powered by just the one engine. The plane safely landed before passengers were moved onto a replacement plane to continue onto its final destination.
A Ryanair spokeswoman said: "This flight from Milan to Knock (18 July) diverted to Dublin due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft. The aircraft landed normally and was taken for inspection by engineers."
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