AAIB And Police Continue Investigations Into Incident

Investigations are continuing after a plane operated by Loganair came off a runway at Stornaway Airport on the Isle of Lewis last week, leaving four people injured.

The Saab 340B was carrying 25 passengers and three crewmembers on the flight to Glasgow when it left the runway and came to rest on grass at the airport on Friday morning (January 2nd).

It is believed the plane was caught in strong crosswinds, with Police Scotland confirming it is now working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to fully investigate the circumstances of the incident.

The police force also confirmed two men were hospitalised following the incident, with two women suffering minor injuries.

Loganair added in a statement: “All passengers and crew were safely evacuated and returned to the airport's terminal.”

Expert Opinion

Take-off is a critical phase of flight and uncontrolled deviation off the runway, especially at high speed, can have catastrophic results. Fortunately the consequences of this accident were far less serious than they could have been. <br/> <br/>"It is vital that the accident investigators identify why this aircraft left the runway. All aircraft have maximum cross wind take-off limits, so if a strong crosswind did cause the accident the strength of the wind and whether it exceeded the aircraft’s limits needs to be determined. If it exceeded the limits, the reasons the crew started the take-off run must be identified. If the wind was within limits, then any other factors that caused or contributed to the deviation must be understood. <br/> <br/>"It is to be hoped that the accident investigators will be able to provide a prompt report that identifies the full chain of events that lead to this accident, so that lessons can be learned and flight safety improved."