Flybe passengers had seen wheel come off

Passengers on a Flybe flight earlier in the year did not immediately report a wheel falling off the plane to its crewm.

Travel Insurance News - 10/11/2011

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The news comes via a new report from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which said that some travellers on the Flybe flight from Exeter to Newcastle last March sat quietly for some time despite having seen one of two wheels on the plane’s right side fall to the ground just after departure.

The flight returned safely to Exeter airport shortly thereafter; there were no injuries in the incident. However, the pilots of the aircraft were made aware of the scenario after air traffic controllers asked cabin crew to inspect the aircraft’s right landing gear from the window. Passengers then told the senior stewardess that the wheel had come off and the pilots were notified.

In contact via radio with Flybe’s chief pilot, the crew then decided to immediately turn back to Exeter airport and use the ‘left wing down’ technique to ensure a safe landing with the weight initially coming down on the left side of the plane.

Officials from the AAIB said that any visual indication of abnormalities in the wheel’s bearing were likely not visible during the pilot’s pre-flight inspection and added that a number of related safety precautions have since been put in place to prevent similar incidents.

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