26 November 2014

AIRCRAFT STORIES - Drama at London airport as private jet crashes on take off after leaving runway and ploughing nose first into the ground




Drama at London airport as private jet crashes on take off after leaving runway and ploughing nose first into the ground


  • Woman in her 30s had to be taken to hospital after incident at Biggin Hill 
  • Fire crews called as smoke poured from 30-year-old Gulfstream G1159-A
  • Two crew members and four passengers treated for shock at the scene
  • Jet is owned by a firm in Atlanta, Georgia, which declined to comment

A private plane which crashed nose-first into the ground as it took off from a London airport was at the centre of an investigation by air accident officials today.

Emergency services were called to Biggin Hill Airport last night after the twin-engined jet carrying two crew members and four passengers left the runway while preparing for departure, causing its nose gear to collapse in the soft ground.

Photographs taken at the scene showed the plane's nose had come off in the incident, and the aircraft was wedged into the muddy grass at the edge of the runway. 

Dramatic: This jet crashed nose-first next to the runway at London's Biggin Hill airport last night
Dramatic: This jet crashed nose-first next to the runway at London's Biggin Hill airport last night

Witnesses described seeing emergency vehicles surrounding the Gulfstream G1159-A on the runway while smoke poured out of it at around 8.30pm.

The London Ambulance Service said eight people had been assessed by medics and a woman in her 30s was taken to hospital with minor injuries. 

It is believed she had hurt her ankle and she was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Farnborough for further treatment.

However, a spokesman for the airport said the two crew members and four passengers were unhurt but were treated for shock at the scene. They were escorted from the aircraft by the airport's fire service. 

Airport Managing Director Will Curtis said: 'The incident was attended immediately by our airfield fire service and also by units from London Fire Brigade in accordance with our emergency incident planning procedures, but these were quickly stood down.

'We are very grateful to all emergency services for their ongoing cooperation and support.' 

Small scale: The accident happened at Biggin Hill airport (above) which is near Bromley, south east London
Small scale: The accident happened at Biggin Hill airport (above) which is near Bromley, south east London

London Fire Brigade sent six fire engines to the airport in Bromley, south east London, with around 30 fire officers from Biggin Hill, Orpington, Addington and Bromley attending.

The incident caused around five gallons of fuel to be spilled, and the firefighters were tasked with cleaning up the liquid.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch confirmed today it has sent officers to examine the cause of the incident at the airport, which specialises in private aviation and flight instruction.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'The AAIB is investigating.' 

The jet was built in 1984 and is registered to the aviation firm World Heir Inc in Atlanta, Georgia, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The firm declined to comment or say whether the plane was being leased. A representative said: 'I have no comment at this time. The investigation's ongoing.

'It was a situation where the plane departed the runway while taxiing for takeoff and no one was seriously injured.'

LAS officer Chris Hawswell tweeted: 'We have attended a private passenger jet that was involved in an accident on takeoff.

'In total we have assessed 8 persons that were on board and are taking a woman to hospital with minor injuries.

'We activated a number of resources as a pre-determined attendance, most were cancelled before arriving.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2848834/Drama-London-airport-private-jet-crashes-leaving-runway-ploughing-nose-ground.html#ixzz3K7bQFjzD 

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