Doncaster airport closed after plane has problems landing

Robin Hood Airport grounds all flights until Saturday mid-morning as it investigates last night's landing incident

Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster has grounded flights as it looks into the failed landing of a LinksAir plane from Belfast on Friday night.

The flight had reported issues with its undercarriage and was forced to ground next to the runway.

The Jetstream 31 plane had aboard two crew members and one passenger, and the passenger was taken to hospital for checks after the incident at 7.30pm.

The plane remained near the runway overnight as the South Yorkshire airport waited for the morning arrival of air accident investigators, with all flights grounded until further notice – expected to be Saturday mid-morning.

In a statement, Robin Hood Airport said: "At approximately 7.30pm on Friday 15 August, there was an incident involving a LinksAir flight at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

"The aircraft was returning from Belfast City Airport and suffered a problem with the undercarriage during landing.

"The aircraft remains adjacent to the runway and cannot be moved until aircraft investigators arrive on site. As a consequence the airport is currently closed and is not expected to reopen until mid-morning on 16 August.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work to reopen our runway as soon as possible.”

Passengers due to fly on Saturday morning were being checked in as normal though likely to flight out from other airports.

Bobby Fett, 39, from Newcastle upon Tyne, who was at the airport on board a plane due to depart for Romania at the time, told the BBC: "The crash happened as I was sat on the plane about to depart."

"I was sat at the rear on my aircraft and was informed by the pilot that there was a problem on the runway.

"When I looked out I saw what looked to be a small aircraft with its right wing down on the floor. It was obvious it had an undercarriage problem by the way it was sat."

With four inbound and three outbound Friday flights affected by the incident, and a further three expected to be diverted on Saturday, the airport has urged passengers to speak with their airlines ahead of a further announcement at 12.00 on Saturday.