A passenger jet that suffered damage during a hard landing at Shannon Airport last night has been grounded pending an examination by air accident inspectors.
A team from the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport has been sent to Shannon to probe the incident.
The civilian airline transports troops for the US military and is the largest carrier of military personnel through Shannon.
Omni Air International flight OY-346 arrived at Shannon from Bangor in the US state of Maine shortly before 8 o’clock last night.
It’s not known how many people were on board, but it’s reported the Boeing 767-300ER jet ‘bounced’ on landing before touching down a second time.
Weather conditions in the area at the time were poor, with turbulence also reported and it’s understood the crew of the Omni flight and other aircraft were advised of the turbulence at the airport shortly before landing.
After landing, the plane later parked on a remote taxiway, where it was inspected by engineers and where it will also be examined by air accident investigators today.
Buckling of the forward fuselage could be seen stretching from one side to the other over the roof of the jet. The damage is understood to be ‘significant’.
A spokesperson from the AAIU has confirmed that it’s deploying a team of inspectors to conduct an on-site examination of the aircraft.
An airline spokesman said: “On March 8, 2020, Omni flight 346 experienced a hard landing in Shannon. The flight was operated on a 767-300 aircraft, N477AX. There were 11 crew members and 170 passengers onboard. There were no injuries to passengers or crew. The aircraft did not bounce off the runway as originally reported.”
