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Plane wheel fell off from Edinburgh-Belfast flight

Getty Images An Emerald Sirlines ATR 72 plane in flight. It has a mainly white body with a green tail and a shamrock logo on the tail.Getty Images
Crews failed to notice the right nose wheel on the Emerald Airlines flight, operated by Aer Lingus, had detached

A fractured axle caused a passenger plane's wheel to fall off during take off from a Scottish airport, an investigation has found.

The right nose wheel separated from the front landing gear of the Emerald Airlines flight - operated by Aer Lingus - between Edinburgh and Belfast City Airport on 31 October, 2023.

Airport and flight crew failed to notice the detachment until the plane was being taxied to the terminal in the Northern Irish capital.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the fractured axle was probably caused by an overheated bearing, but it could not determine what caused it to overheat.

No-one was injured in the incident and the flight landed without any issues.

Emerald Airlines is the operator of the Aer Lingus Regional franchise and flies on short-haul routes between the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

AAIB A metal axle which is meant to join the left and right wheels of a plane. The right wheel is missing. The axle is partially damaged and is slightly corroded.AAIB
Investigators found the plane's landing gear may have been damaged by an overheated bearing

The AAIB report noted that the flight crew received "no indications" the nose wheel had detached.

Investigators said it would "not have been easily detectable" by staff in Edinburgh as it "came to rest" away from the runway.

Both airports carried out runway inspections after staff in Belfast noted the wheel was missing.

It was later located near the runway in Edinburgh.

An examination of the ATR 72-212 A aircraft, built in 2017, found evidence of heat damage on the axle.

The AAIB said the axle had fractured due to overheating of the wheel bearing which caused "thermal shock".

However, investigators said that the cause of the overheating "could not be positively determined".

They said it may have been caused by "over-greasing" of inner and outer bearings or the lack of wheel balancing weights.

Emerald Airlines has been contacted for comment.