Flybe Passenger Plane Crash Lands In Belfast

Hero pilot praised after Flybe passenger plane with 56 on board CRASH LANDS with no front wheel in Belfast following two-hour circling to burn off fuel...

A hero pilot has been praised after a Flybe aircraft dramatically crash landed in Belfast without its front wheel.

Fifty two passengers and four crew members were on board Flybe flight BE331 to Inverness when it carried out an emergency landing with the front of the aircraft unsupported.

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was forced to circle at 3,800 feet after the pilot realised there was a problem with the nose gear just moments after the aircraft's 11:20am take-off from George Best Airport in Belfast.

After an hour of trying to work out how to fix the problem mid-air the captain declared an emergency and continued to circle in a bid to burn off fuel before attempting to land with just two of the plane's three wheels working.

It meant that the propeller aircraft's nose was left skidding along the runway as it came to a halt on the tarmac in Belfast.

Hailing the actions of the crew, Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilots' union Balpa, said: 'Landing without a nose gear is a very difficult manoeuvre, but one pilots train extensively for.

'The pilots in this case appear to have done a sterling job of bringing the aircraft back under those circumstances.'

Flybe told MailOnline: 'Flybe can confirm that there has been an incident involving one of our Bombardier Q-400 aircraft, flight no BE331 which landed with no nose gear in place.

'The aircraft departed from Belfast City at 1107 local time bound for Inverness. The incident occurred at Belfast International Airport at approximately 1330 local time.

'There are 52 passengers on board and four crew members. Our primary concern is for the welfare of the passengers and crew.

'All statements relating to this incident will be posted immediately on the Flybe website at www.flybe.com'