Inquiry after Nimrod overshoots runway

An investigation was launched after a military plane overshot a runway, it was confirmed today.

The Nimrod left the runway at RAF Kinloss in Moray as it was coming in to land.

No one was injured as a result of the incident, which is believed to have been caused by the plane's tyres bursting.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "A Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 aircraft left the runway during landing at RAF Kinloss on Friday.

"The aircraft has now been towed to a hangar where it will undergo thorough checks.

"It is suspected that the incident was caused by tyres bursting on landing, but a full investigation is under way.

"There were no injuries to any personnel. The runway is now operational."

A review into the safety of Nimrods was announced by the Government in 2007 after 14 service personnel were killed over Afghanistan the previous year.

Their plane exploded following mid-air refuelling and their deaths marked the biggest loss of life suffered by British forces in a single incident since the Falklands war.

At the inquest into the deaths, Andrew Walker, the assistant deputy Oxfordshire coroner, concluded that the Nimrod surveillance aircraft was not airworthy due to a design fault.