Starbow planes grounded after near-disaster
Starbow Airline has grounded some planes in its fleet for servicing after its Takoradi-bound plane Tuesday made an emergency landing at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
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The Deputy Minister of Transport, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, disclosed this to Accra-based Citi FM Wednesday.
Two passengers were injured in Tuesday’s emergency landing.
The Chief Executive Officer of Starbow, Mr Eric Antwi, told Citi FM that the Takoradi-bound airline had to return to Accra after it developed what he said was hydraulic failure.
Mr Antwi said: “…with this hydraulic failure” they couldn’t continue the journey hence making an emergency landing.”
He said because of the high speed ramps at the airport, there were fumes from the tyres of the plane as it landed, but, according to him, fire service personnel were on hand to ensure that the landing took place smoothly.
“In doing so we made sure everybody was safe, we had to do evacuation. Everybody was ok just that we had two passengers that were slightly injured which is under control now. It was just bruises. I’m sure they will probably be discharged today or tomorrow,” he said.
Apologising for the incident, Mr Antwi stressed the airline’s commitment to safety, saying, “We actually work diligently before we take off making sure our flights are in good condition before we fly.”
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According to aviation industry experts, a hydraulic failure can cause a pilot to lose control of a plane if it has “hydraulics-only flight control”.
If the aircraft has a “manual reversion capability”, however, the pilot can control it manually if it loses its hydraulic controls.
Most smaller and medium size airplanes - such as Boeing 737 or MD-80/90 airplanes - have manual reversion – meaning they can be flown and maneuvered without their hydraulics operating, according to aviation industry experts..
It’s not immediately clear the type of aircraft Starbow was operating on Tuesday..
This is the second time, a Starbow airline aircraft has made an emergency landing, after an incident in August 2014 which saw a Kumasi-bound aircraft return to the KIA shortly after taking off due to a fault detected mid-air