Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has commended the Captain and co-pilot of a Metroliner, operated by African Skies, as well as the emergency services for their role in ensuring a successful emergency landing at Lanseria Airport in Gauteng earlier today.
"We want to commend the Captain and crew of the Metroliner, as well as the emergency services and all other stakeholders, for their role in ensuring a safe emergency landing at Lanseria Airport earlier on Sunday," said Minister Ndebele.
According to initial reports, a chartered Metroliner 19-seater turboprop took off from Lanseria Airport with 13 passengers and two crew on the way to Polokwane.
On approach to Polokwane, the crew determined that there were problems with the undercarriage. They decided to return to Lanseria.
They flew around for about an hour to get rid of excess fuel and then completed a "wheels-up landing" - where the plane lands on its belly.
The emergency landing took place around 11:30am, with emergency services in attendance. The plane was damaged during the landing but the passengers and crew were unharmed.
The Accident and Incident Investigation Division of the South African Civil Aviation Authority cleared the removal of the aircraft after initial investigations were concluded. The airport was operational again by 13:30pm on Sunday.
