Aer Arann Pilot Praised In Engine Failure Alert

Following last Friday's near miraculous escape by passengers and crew from a crash-landed jet in London, there has been much praise for the pilot of an Irish aircraft that had to be diverted after an engine apparently failed.

The Aer Arann plane bound for Dublin from Donegal had to be urgently diverted to City of Derry Airport.

The alert happened on Monday, shortly after the plane left Carrickfinn, when - just after 9.50am - the crew reported a technical fault with an engine.

However, the twin-engine turboprop plane landed safely and the 36 passengers and three crew left the aircraft without incident. Fire and ambulance crews attended the scene, but were not needed.

City of Derry Airport and Aer Arann than made arrangements to transport the passengers from flight RE202 to Dublin.

Passenger Geraldine Doherty described the terror in the cabin as the trouble transpired: "We were heading off to Dublin and it didn't seem very long after take off when one of the propellers stopped. My seat was right between the two propellers and I was really frightened.

"The cabin was very quiet and sombre. When we were coming in to land the panic set in and one or two women and young people started crying and some were praying.

"But everything worked out okay and the pilot did an excellent job."

Another passenger, Harry Law from Falcarragh, said yesterday: "The pilot got a round of applause when we landed."

Meanwhile, London's Heathrow Airport is still experiencing delays following the crash-landing of a British Airways Boeing 777.

An airport spokesperson said there had been 56 cancelled flights on Monday and it was not known how long the disruption would continue.

The delays followed on from the crash landing in which all 136 passengers and 16 crew on the flight from Beijing survived.

On Sunday, the plane was moved 500m from near the southern runway to a hangar where the investigation into the crash-landing will continue.

An airport spokesman said on Monday there had been 24 cancelled arrivals and 32 cancelled departures, mostly to short-haul flights.

It is hoped that things will be back to normal by mid-week.

(BMcC)