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Associate editor relives ‘terrifying’ emergency plane landing

dave-laffertyA regional daily’s associate editor has told of how he tried to reassure a heavily pregnant aeroplane passenger as they experienced a “terrifying” Mayday landing.

Dave Lafferty, associate editor at the Manchester Evening News, had to adopt the ‘brace’ position along with his fellow passengers following a mid-air emergency 30 minutes into the flight.

Loganair Flight BE67976 had taken off from Manchester Airport bound for Inverness but a technical fault, thought to be an alert to a possible steering issue, forced the pilot to turn back.

A flight attendant then warned the 29 passengers they were preparing for an emergency landing – and showed how to adopt the ‘brace’ position.

Dave told the MEN: “She said ‘we’ve got a problem and we have to turn back to Manchester’. When she told us about the brace position everyone got worried.”

Dave was sitting next to a 34-week pregnant woman who had needed a doctor’s note to board Friday afternoon’s flight.

He added: “She was understandably terrified. As we turned around, the plane was wobbling a bit because of the wind – that made it tougher. In those minutes before landing all kinds of images flash through your mind.”

“I was sitting over the wing so I had one eye on the front and one on the propeller. I couldn’t see a fire but I could see the fire engines and ambulances that had come to meet us.

“When we got close the captain shouted ‘brace’ ‘brace’’. I was trying to reassure the pregnant woman next to me while feeling quite scared myself.

“We landed and braked heavily. We were all thrown forward and then it braked again.”

“When the danger had passed, the pilot spoke to passengers again, checking they were okay and adding ‘you can be assured this plane won’t be flying again’. The whole thing was pretty scary.”

3 comments

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  • November 12, 2015 at 12:26 pm
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    The lengths Trinity Mirror will go to to try and cull staff.

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  • November 12, 2015 at 4:58 pm
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    Just don’t think this is really a story, for HTFP or MEN.

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  • November 13, 2015 at 1:46 pm
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    And your point is?

    No doubt an exciting story for him to dine out on, sadly dull as for the rest of us

    Next!

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