Passengers on an Aer Arann flight from the UK were fortunate to escape serious injury today when the nose wheel of their plane appeared to collapse shorty after landing at Shannon airport.
The Aer Lingus regional flight EI 3601 from Manchester to Shannon, operated by Aer Arann, landed just after 10.30am on its second approach to the airport.
The plane, which had 21 passengers and 4 crew members on board, veered off the main runway onto the grass after the front wheel of the aircraft appeared to give way.
All passengers and crew have safely disembarked the aircraft, and no injuries have been reported.
The crash has led to the closure of the main runway in Shannon with several out going flights being grounded while one inbound flight from London's Heathrow has been diverted to Dublin.
In a statement, Aer Arann confirmed the flight, operated by an ATR 72-212 aircraft, had departed Manchester Airport at 8.50am and was due to arrive in Shannon Airport at 10.15am.
As the aircraft landed on its second approach at 10.30am, it experienced a suspected failure of the nose wheel landing gear and veered off the runway onto the grass, the airline said.
"Aer Arann cannot speculate as to the cause of the incident and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), branch of the Department of Transport have been informed," it added.