Bombardier advises grounding planes after emergency landings

Canadian aerospace giant Bombardier is asking airlines around the world to ground some of its airplanes after two were involved in emergency landings in Europe this week.

The Montreal-based manufacturing company said in a statement Wednesday that it is recommending that about 60 of its Q400 turboprop planes be kept out of the air until they can be inspected.

The60 were chosen for grounding because they have taken off and landed more than 10,000 times, the company said. About 160 Q400 turboprops are in use worldwide.

Bombardier stressed that the grounding request is a "precautionary measure."

According to the Bombardier website, Q400 planes seat up to 78 passengers and are often used by regional airlines, including Porter Airlines, which runs flights from Toronto to Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Porter said its fleet ofQ400 aircraftis still in operation, as theyhave 2,000 landings or fewer and have upgraded landing gear.

The recommendation comes after the right main landing gear of a Q400 turboprop used by Scandinavian Airlines collapsed shortly after it touched down in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday at 1:30 a.m. local time.

Wing smashed

The airplaneskidded off the runway, smashed one wing into the ground and landed in the grass, officials at the airport said.

Officials said pilots had to land the plane on its front and left sidebecause the right set of wheels failed to lower. The crew made all passengers sit on the left side of the plane for fear that the right propeller might break into pieces and puncture the right side of the cabin.

The 48 passengers and four crew members on board were evacuated from the plane and no one was hurt, Scandinavian Airlines said.

The airplane had left the Danish capital of Copenhagen and washeading to Palanga, in Lithuania, when it began experiencing technical problems and was diverted to Vilinus, according to Bloomberg news agency.

The incident occurred three days after another Q400 airplane run by Scandinavian Airlines got into trouble.

Itsright main landing gear collapsed as the plane touched down in Aalborg, Denmark, on Sunday. The plane caught fire and five of 73 passengers were injured.

Passengers rebooked

Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS, grounded its fleet of turboprops on Wednesday and cancelled more than 100 flights.

"This is very serious," SAS spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi said. "The background to our decision is the accident in Denmark on Sunday.

"A lot of people have to be rebooked since a lot of flights will be cancelled."

Bombardier'slanding gear is made by North Carolina's Goodrich, which has joined Bombardier in its request to ground the 60 planes.

Bombardier said one of its safety experts has gone to the site of the second emergency to assist investigators.

"Until such time as investigations are concluded by the relevant aviation authorities, Bombardier cannot speculate or comment as to the cause of these incidents," Bombardier said in its statement.

'Good, reliable aircraft'

Bombardier spokesman Bert Cruickshank said the plan is to perform the inspections as soon as possible so that the airplanes can be returned to service soon.

Henoted theQ400 has a good safety record and has clocked more thanone millionflight hours.

"It has proven itself over the past several years to be a good, reliable aircraft," he told the Canadian Press.

Bombardier said it has briefed Transport Canada on the situation and is working closely with the federal department to see if any further action should be taken.

Bombardier, the world's third-largest aircraft maker, manufactures everything from high-speed commuter trains to jets. Its revenues for the last fiscal year, which ended Jan. 31, 2007, were $14.8 billion US, according to the company website.