Charlie Smith
A PLANE carrying 128 passengers has successfully made an emergency landing in Madrid.
The Air Canada Boeing 767 was forced into the move after it experienced issues following take off from the Capital’s Barajas Airport.
The tyre of Toronto-bound flight AC837 exploded, while one of the craft’s engines was also damaged.
It is believed that the plane’s landing gear was sucked into one of its turbines.
An F-18 Spanish Air Force was launched to escort the airliner to safety, while flames could be seen by passengers coming from underneath the plane.
Those onboard also spoke of their ‘nerves’, as the pilots were forced to ‘circle’ above Madrid in a bid to burn off fuel before they could perform the emergency maneuver.
“Obviously a lot of nervous tension while we were in the air, but the pilots did a terrific job landing the plane,” said Vancouver-based passenger Brock Mierzejewski to Associated Press.
“We are still in a little bit of shock but glad to be safe,” he told Associated Press.”
Reports suggest the plane, which took off at 3pm was circling for as long as three hours, before it finally touched down at 7:15pm.
Reports suggested that dozens of ambulances were on hand for those alighting from the flight, however there were not any reports of any casualties.
It came after a bad day for Madrid’s airport, which had been closed earlier in the day due to drone sightings.
