Actions Of Crew Praised Following Warsaw Airport Incident

Aviation lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have called on authorities in Poland to work quickly to determine the cause of an apparent mechanical failure which forced a Boeing 767 to crash-land safely without being able to lower the undercarriage.

Captain Tadeusz Wrona and his crew have received universal praise for their efforts to ensure the LOT Polish airlines flight, which was carrying around 230 people and travelling from New Jersey in the US, was able to land safely at Warsaw airport despite a reported hydraulic failure.

Excess fuel on the flight was jettisoned, while emergency services covered one runway on the site in foam in preparation for the plane’s wheels up landing. After reaching the ground, passengers were evacuated from the aircraft via emergency chutes.

Jim Morris, former RAF pilot and specialist aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s London office, has joined those praising the actions of the crew, but urged authorities to ensure that serious questions are asked about the apparent mechanical fault behind the incident.

He outlined: “The efforts of Captain Wrona and his crew in the face of an incredibly difficult scenario must be praised and celebrated, but it is vital that attention begins to turn to how and why this Boeing 767 suffered this problem.

“Reports on the incident unsurprisingly indicate that a technical issue was behind the reason why the aircraft’s undercarriage could not be activated, so it is clear that answers are needed over how this happened and just how serious the problem is.

“More importantly, it needs to be determined whether there is any possibility that the fault which caused this failure could emerge in similar Boeing aircraft.

“While no one was injured in this instance, it is absolutely vital that answers are provided.  For this accident the skill of the crew and other circumstances, such as the weather conditions, resulted in a safe landing. 

“However, if the same problem occurs again in slightly different circumstances the results could be catastrophic.  All passengers on future Boeing flights deserve to know that their fundamental safety is a priority of both aircraft manufacturers and operators.”