Plane turns back as windscreen cracks
Aircraft heading to shetland forced to land back at aberdeen airport
Published:
AN EMERGENCY was declared at Aberdeen Airport yesterday after a crack appeared in the windscreen of a plane carrying 41 people bound for Shetland.
Police, fire and ambulance crews were put on standby when the pilot of the aircraft – operated by Eastern Airways – noticed the damaged glass around 15 minutes into the flight to Scatsta Airport.
He decided to turn the plane around and it landed safely back at Aberdeen at around 9.35am.
The 38 passengers and three crew had boarded the Saab 2000 aircraft shortly before 9am.
After the incident they boarded a different plane at 9.50am, arriving at Scatsta an hour later.
Eastern Airways yesterday apologised to passengers involved in the incident.
A spokeswoman for the operator said the pilot reported a small crack in the plane’s “multi-layered toughened glass” windscreen shortly after take-off.
She added: “As a precaution he decided to return to Aberdeen to have the aircraft’s windscreen inspected by our engineers.
“The Saab 2000, with 38 passengers and three crew on board, was flying to Scatsta as part of a charter flight and landed (at Aberdeen) safely at 9.34am.”
She added: “We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused – but we will always err on the side of caution as safety is our primary concern.”
A spokesman for Grampian Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews had remained on standby until the plane landed safely at Aberdeen. They were later stood down.
Scatsta Airport, a former RAF base, is mainly used to support Shetland’s oil and gas industry, with workers regularly flown from the airport by helicopter to offshore installations.
