Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is urgently examining aircraft after two successive incidents in three days that have seen the carrier ground its entire Bombardier Dash 8 (Q400) fleet.
This morning”s (12 September) accident at 01:36, that saw a Q400 divert to Vilnius in Lithuania, comes hard on the heels of Monday”s incident that saw another SAS Q400 make an emergency landing at Aalborg in Denmark and its right main landing gear collapse.
The Canadian manufacturer is urging all Q400 operators ” whose aircraft have 10,000 landing cycles or more ” be grounded until routine inspection is carried out, while SAS (23 Q400s) and partner carrier, Wideroe (four Q400s), have stopped all operations of the type.
A Bombardier statement said: ”As a precautionary measure, Bombardier and Goodrich, the landing gear manufacturer, recommend in an All Operator Message, that operators of Q400 aircraft having accumulated more than 10,000 landing gear cycles, be grounded until an inspection of the landing gear is carried out.”
Details of today”s incident are still emerging, but SAS has revealed that one of its Q400 aircraft, operating as flight SK2748 from Copenhagen to Palanga in Lithuania, ”experienced technical difficulties and the crew decided to divert to Vilnius.” On landing, "the right main landing gear collapsed."
All 48 passengers and four crew were evacuated, but no injuries have been reported.
Monday”s incident followed the crew of flight SK1209 operating from Copenhagen to Aalborg, also experiencing a problem with the main landing gear and making an emergency landing. Five out of 69 passengers were what SAS describes as ”lightly injured.”
Transport Canada and the Danish Accident Investigation Board are examining the incidents, while a Bombardier Air Safety representative has been sent to the second site to provide help to the authorities. Bombardier has declined to speculate on the nature of the incidents.
A spokeswoman for SAS in Stockholm said that further details were expected this afternoon.