Emerald Airlines ATR 72-600 Suffers Nose Gear Collapse During Landing in Belfast

An Aer Lingus‘ ATR 72-600 aircraft, registered as G-CMMK, operated by Emerald Airlines suffered a nose gear collapse during landing amid strong winds. The aircraft, which had departed from Edinburgh to Belfast at around 16:00 GMT, had no passengers on board and was operated by four crew members.

The incident occurred when the plane’s nose wheel collapsed during the landing. Images from the scene showed the plane’s nose resting directly on the runway tarmac. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. The runway has since been closed, and it is expected to remain out of operation until Monday.

The flight in question was flight EAG71P identified as a “positioning flight,” a non-commercial movement of an aircraft that is often undertaken to relocate a plane for operational purposes. It was operated by Emerald Airlines on behalf of Aer Lingus. Emerald Airlines confirmed that the aircraft had experienced a hard landing caused by adverse weather conditions.

The emergency landing led to the rapid deployment of police, fire service units, and ambulance crews to Belfast City Airport.

Fire Service Area Commander David Doherty reported that firefighters responded promptly at 16:15 GMT, shortly after the airport declared a full emergency. Several units were sent to the airport as part of the established response procedure for emergencies of this nature. However, no immediate intervention by the firefighters was required. Mr. Doherty also noted that while some firefighting resources were redeployed to other areas, a few units remained on-site as a precautionary measure.

Due to the runway closure, Belfast City Airport advised passengers via X (formerly Twitter) against traveling to the airport on Sunday evening and directed them to contact their respective airlines for further updates.

The airport’s website displayed numerous flight cancellations, affecting many travelers. Additionally, two flights scheduled to arrive from London City and Leeds Bradford were diverted to Belfast International Airport. Five further flights destined for Belfast City were redirected to Dublin Airport, underscoring the widespread disruption caused by the incident.

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) stepped in to assist Belfast City Airport in managing the aftermath of the emergency. According to Graeme McQueen, the DAA’s Media Relations Manager, members of Dublin Airport’s airfield operations team were dispatched to Belfast City Airport with specialized equipment to help recover the damaged aircraft.

“We are happy to help our neighboring airport,” Mr. McQueen stated.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed that it had been notified of the incident and has launched an investigation. A team of inspectors has been deployed to Belfast City Airport to analyze the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing and assess any contributing factors that let to Emerald Airlines Nose Gear Collapse.

Youssef Yahya

Youssef Yahya is the CEO and Founder of Aviation for Aviators, a platform dedicated to the aviation industry. With over 3 years of experience as an aviation writer, Youssef is passionate about sharing his insights on aviation, entrepreneurship, and the broader business landscape. As a Teaching Assistant in Entrepreneurship at Nile University, he also nurtures the next generation of entrepreneurs. When he’s not exploring the skies or business ventures, you can find him saying, ‘Drag your coffee, and let’s talk aviation, entrepreneurship, and football.’

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