BA 737 Crash-Lands, Nearly Loses Wing as Gear Collapses
Jeff Edwards October 27, 2015
A British Airways flight landing at a South African airport was sent skidding down the runway after the plane’s landing gear collapsed.
Passengers aboard a British Airways flight from Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) survived a crash landing unscathed Monday after one of the aircraft’s wheels collapsed on arrival at O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). British Airways Flight 6234, operated by South African subsidiary Comair, skidded down the runway for several hundred yards on the Boeing 737’s left wing and engine cowling following the partial landing gear failure. The plane eventually slowed safely to a stop on the tarmac.
Remarkably, JNB officials say that none of the 94 passengers or six crew members were injured. Emergency services quickly responded and everyone aboard BA6234 was safely evacuated into the terminal.
Some of the passengers who were onboard the 737 report seeing a curtain of sparks as the left wing and engine scraped the runway. Passengers say they only learned what happened after the aircraft had come to a stop and the captain announced that the “left landing gear had broken off.” Photographs of the out-of-commission aircraft show the plane resting on its belly with the left wing partially detached.
The accident at JNB brought gridlock to South Africa’s busiest airport on Monday, delaying dozens of flights and forcing planes to share an alternate runway while investigators and crews worked to remove the wreckage.
Updated 10:50 a.m. 10/27/15 — An earlier version of this story erroneously mentioned a 777 in the first paragraph. It has been updated to reflect that it was in fact a 737, as specified in the headline and other portions of the article.
[Photos: Warren Mann]
What a clickbaity article. This is Comair, not BA.
Hardly a "crash-landing" as the headline suggests. Sensationalizing and tabloid-esque, to be sure. Oh, and is it a 777 or 737? Photo shows 737, but first paragraph states 777.
Another example of the media not knowing what they are talking about. At one point in their story they say it is a Boeing 777. Comair would not have any 777, let alone fly them on such a short route. They did also say later it was a 737. It continues to reinforce that teh media does not know how to get facts stright. You wonder how many important facts they mess up.