6th May 1997
Newspaper plane crashes at Jersey Airport
Two crew had a lucky escape when their Fokker F-27 crashed on its final approach to Jersey. The plane had been nearly three hours late arriving, due to poor weather and strong crosswinds at Jersey.
Heavy landing
The crew were bringing in the morning papers from Bournemouth and landed heavily on the front wheel rather than the under-wing wheels. The front wheel collapsed into the body of the aircraft, then the main landing gear retracted as the aircraft bounced up and back down onto the runway, causing the plane’s undercarriage to hit the concrete runway. It slid forward on its belly for 15 seconds, eventually coming to rest on the grass off to one side of the paved surface.
The plane was damaged by the double impact and its extended slide. When the landing gear collapsed, the propellers hit the ground and were damaged, and the nose section was bent out of shape. Fortunately, it could still be repaired and returned to service.
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Other events that occured in May
Jersey’s British and French populations riot
- British and French people resident in Jersey rioted in 1900 in response to a war taking place in South Africa.
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The Channel Islands are liberated
- The Channel Islands were liberated on 9 May 1945 after several attempts at negotiating the German army's surrender.
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Plane scrapes the runway at Jersey Airport
- A DC-8 flying into Jersey came in with its nose too high and its tail too low. The tail struck the runway and scraped along it.
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Captain is suspended after Condor collision
- An HD Ferries captain was suspended after his catamaran collided with a vessel from rival Condor Ferries. He later resigned.
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