A serious accident was narrowly avoided at Shannon Airport when the nose wheels of a plane collapsed during landing last November, a report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) states.
The investigation was into an accident in which passengers and the captain were injured following a flight from Lanzarote.
The report recommends that the operator, Futura International Airways, an Aer Lingus subsidiary, review its flight training programme and its crosswind limitations.
"Given the extent of the damage to both the engines and airframe, a more serious accident was only narrowly avoided," the report states.
The collapse of the nose wheels of the Futura aircraft after touchdown led to the hospitalisation of eight of 208 passengers and extensive structural damage to the engines, wings and fuselage of the five-month-old plane. The captain received minor head injuries.
The plane travelled 8,000 feet on its nose after bouncing and then landing on the nose wheel. Wreckage was strewn along a 250-metre distance from the touchdown point. A five-metre groove was cut into the runway and six centre-line lights were damaged. The airport was closed for nearly 18 hours. The accident occurred in gusty, turbulent conditions.
Futura, a Spanish-registered company, is 85 per cent owned by Aer Lingus and carries about two million passengers annually.
It received recommendations from the AAIU, part of the Department of Public Enterprise, that maximum crosswind limitations with airfield conditions be published and that its flight training programme be reviewed. Part of that review includes an emphasis on the importance of executing a missed approach if the initial approach becomes destabilised.
Mr Declan Conroy, an Aer Lingus spokesman, said Futura welcomed the report. The airline had already implemented the recommendation on crosswinds and would review its flight training programme immediately.
He added that none of the eight passengers taken to hospital was detained overnight and no serious injuries were reported.
The report, by Mr Frank Russell and Mr John Hughes, noted that the two preceding flights due at Shannon had diverted to Dublin.
Other operators of similar aircraft use lower crosswind limitations than Futura while Futura used the Boeing maximum demonstrated crosswind of 36 knots which "does not take wind gusts into account".
"As part of the investigation the AAIU queried the Irish Operators of Boeing 400 to 800 series aircraft, as to their crosswind limits. The airlines stated that their maximum crosswind limitations for take-off and landings were 25 knots and 30 knots for wet and dry runways, respectively.
The airlines also pointed out that even with their published maximum crosswind limitations, aircraft commanders can use their discretion as to whether these maximum conditions are acceptable in their operating circumstances."
The report also noted that many passengers had praised the cabin crew for their professional conduct during the evacuation.
In July 2000 a Futura Boeing 737 flight from Las Palmas to Dublin had to be aborted after the aircraft developed engine trouble. The AAIU report is available at: www.irlgov.ie/tec/aaiu/aaiupages/aaiureportindex.htm