A Boeing plane suffered a ‘catastrophic failure’ when a TUI flight skidded off the runway in a crash at Leeds Airport during Storm Babet, a report has found.
The flight, which carried more than 200 passengers from Corfu last year, was trying to land at the airport in high winds when the Boeing 737-800 skidded off the tarmac and was left on the grass.
The airport’s emergency siren is said to have been activated when the plane veered off the runway at around 1.53pm BST. Witnesses described it as a ‘hard landing’.
But in a new report, investigators claimed that one of the passenger plane’s nose gear bearings suffered a catastrophic failure, which likely happened during the final stages of landing, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found.
When the aircraft began to move to the left, the crew on board reported feeling a significant vibration, but according to the AAIB report, the full rudder range was not used to correct the drift.
A Boeing aircraft suffered a ‘catastrophic failure’ and skidded off the runway in a crash at Leeds Airport during Storm Babet in October 2023. Pictured: Dramatic photos show the TUI aircraft lying on the side of the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport
After investigation, the AAIB found that there was ‘no mechanical impediment’ to prevent the aircraft from taking off from the runway
The crew had attempted to regain control of the aircraft as the aircraft approached the edge of the runway, but they were unable to gain control.
The aircraft left the runway at a ground speed of approximately 100 km/h and came to rest six seconds later in muddy ground approximately 150 meters beyond the taxiway.
Following an investigation, the AAIB found that there was ‘no mechanical impediment’ to prevent the aircraft from taking off early from the runway, but that the crew’s work was significantly hampered by ‘nose gear vibration’.
“No mechanical defect was identified during the investigation that would have prevented the crew from applying the additional right rudder available to keep the aircraft on the runway,” the AAIB said.
‘However, the behavior of the crew may have been influenced by the vibration of the nose gear.’
Because the runway was wet, there is no evidence that the plane skidded at any time, the AAIB investigation concluded.
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport said: ‘Our safety and compliance team worked closely with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch following the incident in October last year.
‘While supporting the AAIB, we also took the opportunity to conduct our own internal investigation to review our emergency response processes and procedures.
‘We were satisfied that the conclusions in the AAIB bulletin of 24 October and the outcomes reached in relation to the airport reflected the findings of our own investigation.’
Malcolm Fell, who was on board the flight, described the incident at the time as ‘a bit dramatic’, but everyone on board was ‘fairly calm’.
The photos show the plane stuck in thick mud after sliding off the runway during landing. No one was injured in the crash
Emergency services on the scene after the passenger plane came off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport
Storm Babet has caused chaos in Britain. Here the photo shows the plane stranded on the grass
The horrific conditions can be seen as firefighters and ambulances surrounded the plane
Recalling his experience, he said: ‘The plane came down and the pilot applied reverse force to the brakes and it started to aquaplain,’ adding ‘it seemed to speed up rather than slow down’.
‘My wife, [who] sat next to me, turned to me and said, I think you better brace yourself, because this isn’t going to stop.
“And then we suddenly stopped on the grass,” he said.
Passenger Fell said the left side of the plane was “covered in mud” after landing.
‘Everyone was very calm, there was no shouting or drama or anything like that.
“It took about an hour to get us off the plane as emergency services stepped in to make sure the plane was safe before evacuating us.”
He added: “Many thanks to the airport; they worked very well to get people off the plane.”
Footage showed the plane quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles, including three ambulances, as they tried to evacuate passengers.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said no injuries and no fires were reported. But all flights to and from Leeds Bradford Airport were temporarily halted and some arrivals were diverted to other airports, including Manchester.