Johannesburg, South Africa -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/20/2016 -- It has been confirmed that the British Airways flight BA6324 did not crash land at OR Tambo Airport as it had previously been reported. The aircraft had become stuck at a primary runway of the OR Tambo Airport due to a fault with the aircraft's landing gear. The flight in question had been enroute to the OR Tambo Airport from Port Elizabeth. Passengers were informed about the technical faults of the plane after the landing. Emergency service reports state that the undercarriage of the British Airways aircraft only collapsed after landing at the OR Tambo Airport.
Passengers aboard the flight later related to journalists that once the plane had landed on the runway at the OR Tambo Airport, it did so at an angle and that the pilot had difficulty keeping the plane straight. They had also mentioned that there were sparks coming out of the left wing of the plane. Due to this the left wing had caught on fire but the OR Tambo Airport fire brigade had attended to this immediately and the fire was put out before it could cause major damage.
During all of this commotion the pilot did manage to keep the plane on the runway. The flight had a passenger count of 94 and 6 crew members. There are no reports of the crew or passengers who may have sustained any medical injuries due to the mishap. They were all allowed to get off the plane soon after the fire was put out, with the assistance of Airports Company South Africa emergency personnel and were then taken to the OR Tambo Airport terminal where Comair staff assisted them through the ordeal. Afterwards, the aircraft was towed to a hanger where it will await the necessary investigations.
The incident happened on the primary runway putting a bit of a delay on flights that were due to depart and land. OR Tambo Airport officials soon opened up the secondary runway to allow for these flights to get back on schedule. Passengers of these flights were informed accordingly of the situation.Flights were not cancelled altogether but just merely delayed by about half an hour. The primary runway which landed the British Airways flight has been closed off due to safety concerns.
Comair and other relevant authorities will be conducting an in depth investigation into the matter in the coming weeks.
Media Contact:
Full address & Zip Code: O R Tambo Airport Rd, Johannesburg, 1627
Company and Business Name: O.R Tambo International Airport
Contact Number: 011 921 6262
Contact person and Title: Kevin Peters
Website: http://johannesburg-airport.co.za/