An accident involving an Irish-owned plane at Shannon Airport whose front wheels snapped off was caused by a failure to observe recommended landing procedures and weather conditions, a report published today said.
The Futura Airlines flight from Lanzarote last November landed despite two preceding flights diverting to Dublin because of high winds, said the Air Accident Investigation Unit report. Futura is a subsidiary of Aer Lingus.
The Boeing 737 landed while on autothrottle despite the autopilot having been turned off, which is against the manufacturers' recommendations, the report noted.
"The gusts, turbulence and autothrottle engagement contributed to an unstabilised final approach under manual control. This led to a hard first-ground contact and rebound," the report said.
"It appears likely that the nose gear first contact caused the right nose wheel axle to snap off".
Extensive damage was caused to the plane on landing as it slewed across the main runway for 300 yards, before being brought to rest safely by the pilots.
Eight people received hospital treatment, including a woman with a broken ankle. Others, including the pilot, were treated at the airport. There were 189 passengers and a six-person crew aboard.
The investigation - headed by Mr Frank Russell and inspector of accidents Mr John Hughes, in association with three Spanish investigators - said although the Boeing 737-800 landed during high cross-winds, the plane was certified to land under the prevailing conditions.
But it was noted that other operators of the aircraft used lower cross-wind limitations than those recommended by the manufacturer.
"In the light of this accident, it would seem prudent for the operator to review their cross-wind limitations as a priority, in the interests of flight safety," the report recommended.
"We have implemented the first recommendation in the report on foot of an interim recommendation from the AAIU in February 2001 and the second recommendation published today will be implemented immediately", a Futura spokesperson said.
The report noted a swift response from accident services on the ground and that passengers praised cabin crew for their professionalism.
The Futura spokesperson noted the decision by cockpit crew to evacuate only to the right of the plane because of high winds, prevented possible serious injury to passengers.