A Canadian company planeSunwing Airlines who was preparing to cover the journeyHolguín-Montreal This Tuesday, it left the runway at Frank País International Airport when it was turning, minutes before takeoff.
The aircraft apparently ended up being stopped in a safety zone off the runway for unknown reasons.
A short video posted on theCuban Aviation Lovers Facebook group shows how one of the rear landing gears collapsed during the maneuver.
"That is a safety zone that is after the headland, and it is that soft so that aircraft that land and are going to leave the runway, sink there and slow down", noticed in the aforementioned group a commentator with knowledge of the subject.
"The track did not sink, it seems thatthe aircraft made the turn after the threshold and that terrain is not designed to support weight", the header 05 of HOG [Holguín Airport] is made of concrete and very safe," agreed another Internet user, implying that what happened would have been a consequence of a bad maneuver by the pilot.
Some commentators alleged that the Holguín Airport runway received maintenance in March, something the Airport noted in itssocial networks.
The exact circumstances under which Tuesday's incident occurred are not clear at this time, nor are the causes., which caused diversions and delays of other flights, as well as the temporary closure of the airport.
"A Sunwing went off the runway, andThe other Sunwing had to be diverted, one from the United States and the Viva from Cancún", wrote an Internet user in the aforementioned group in relation to the immediate complications generated by the event.
However, this Wednesday the closure of the Frank País International Airport persists.
An Internet user who inquired about the flight to Nicaragua that was supposed to leave at 11:30 am, received a response from several commentators alleging thatThe airport remains closed.
"Forget it, for now we have problems here with a Sunwing flight, stuck, although it may seem funny, but that's how it is"said one commentator.
At the closing of this note, no other details about what happened have emerged.
So far the incident has not been reported in official media. Neither the Cuban Airports and Airport Services Company (ECASA) nor the airport itself have commented.
UPDATE:
In a note published at noon this Wednesday, ECASA reported on what happened:
"On the night of August 29 at 8:35 pm, the Sunwing Airline B737-800 aircraft with flight number SWG645 that was covering the Holguín/Montreal route, during the turning maneuver towards the takeoff position, exceeded the established limits, causing the landing gear to collapse, resulting in the immobilization of the aircraft. This incident did not cause any harm to passengers or crew.
For security reasons, the Frank País International Airport in the province of Holguín diverted the planned operations to other alternate airports, a total of 3, Swift Air SWQ281, Sunwing Airline SWG641 and Viva Aerobus VIV417. The work to remove the aircraft was carried out, which allowed normal operations to resume as of 11:15 am today. Airlines and Travel Agencies carry out the corresponding procedures to guarantee the protection of their passengers on upcoming flights. The causes that caused this incident are being investigated. "We apologize for the inconvenience caused."
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