Inquiry launched into plane nose-wheel collapse

AN INVESTIGATION was under way last night into why the nose-wheel of an aircraft collapsed shortly after it landed with 62 people on board. The 58 passengers and four crew escaped down emergency chutes on to the tarmac at Manchester Airport.

One passenger was taken to hospital with a broken ankle and another four were treated on the spot for minor injuries. Passengers on the 8.30am British Regional Airlines BA 7783 flight from Southampton later told how the ATP aircraft began shaking as the captain and first officer struggled to maintain control as the nose-wheel collapse. It slewed sideways on the runway and came to rest with its nose against the ground.