Huge delays after Heathrow crash-landing

Monday 09 December 1996 00:02 GMT
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Hundreds of flights to and from Heathrow airport were delayed yesterday after a plane carrying 45 people crash-landed.

The left undercarriage of the KLM Dutch National Fokker 50, a twin-engined turboprop, collapsed after landing, causing the aircraft to spin round.

The pilot had become aware of a problem with the landing gear when a warning light came on during the flight from Rotterdam. He informed air traffic control, who alerted the emergency services. Passengers said the pilot circled Heathrow for 45 minutes while he tried to get the landing gear to work.

Sherif Fahmy, a 35-year-old Egyptian businessman, said: "When we landed the first touch was fine, but then we felt the main undercarriage bar break and the left side of the plane just went down with a tremendous bang." Fire engines smothered the aircraft with foam as it was evacuated.

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