Stricken aircraft belly flops at Blenheim

**Bend-it** · 18th June 2007, 12:11

Yikes!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4099286a10.html

The Air New Zealand Beech aircraft, with 15 passengers and two crew aboard, had tried to land at Wellington when the crew found a problem with its landing gear.

It was then diverted to Woodbourne where the crew completed a safe belly flop landing just after 9am.

The badly damaged plane was sprayed with foam as a precaution.

Marty Solomon, a Wellington man who was on the flight with his partner and son, was full of praise for the crew.

"I was a bit freaked out, but as soon as we came to a halt I was alright.

"The pilot did a damned good job at landing the plane."

"I jumped out through the window, the hole wanted to be a bit bigger though."

Solomon said the crew had kept the passengers informed and got them to prepare for the crash landing.

One passenger, who was understood to be pregnant, was taken to hospital for a check up.

The airport will be closed for two hours while cranes are brought in to remove the wreckage.

The aircraft was on a flight from Timaru to Wellington and was operated by Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Air.

**deanohit** · 18th June 2007, 12:20

jeez thats an awsome shot!!!bet the passengers had quite the rush after that.good to hear that it all went smoothly and no one was injured.

**Pussy** · 18th June 2007, 12:30

The Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Standard people will be rubbing their hands with glee!

**vifferman** · 18th June 2007, 12:31

Originally Posted by deanohit

jeez thats an awsome shot!!!

Yeah!
It's pretty scary the bits flying around though - those prop blades would've made a mess if they'd decided to see what the inside of the plane looked like...

**caesius** · 18th June 2007, 12:33

That landing went smoothly enough. Why not remove the wheels from all the other Air NZ planes. Could save oodles of money.

**Macktheknife** · 18th June 2007, 12:37

Bloody good effort by the pilot and crew I reckon, someone is gonna have a big please explain though!

**Sniper** · 18th June 2007, 12:40

I loved how they said earlier that everyone was sent for counselling

**Indiana_Jones** · 18th June 2007, 12:49

Originally Posted by Sniper

I loved how they said earlier that everyone was sent for counselling

I think that's just the PC way of saying "everyone was sent away for clean underwear" lol

-Indy

**Dilligaf** · 18th June 2007, 13:01

10 chars...

**marty** · 18th June 2007, 13:10

the wheels in the beech actually still stick out about 7cm when fully retracted, and you can land them on the belly and still have full braking (not anti skid though) available.

it's gonna be a long night at work tonight...........

**shafty** · 18th June 2007, 13:40

The same thing happened in Rotorua a few years ago and the newspaper showed a distant shot of the Crew and passengers on the piss in the hanger afterwards! You'd feel like one wouldn't ya?!!