A Jet2 flight was forced to execute a “full speed” emergency landing at Manchester Airport after the wing flaps – which serve to slow the plane down – broke before landing.
The flight from Crete was due to land at Leeds Bradford Airport but began circling at around midnight on Friday after a delayed take-off as the wind flaps were malfunctioning.
The wing flaps help to decrease the plane’s speed as it comes into land.
The captain told the Jet2 passengers that they were circling due to a “technical error on the flight deck.”
The captain decided to do an emergency landing at Manchester Airport as the hub has a longer runway.
Passengers have told how the “full speed” landing was “absolutely petrifying” and even the captain seemed scared.
A mother-of-three on board, who didn’t want to be named, told the Manchester Evening News: “The captain said we needed more stopping room because we’re going to be coming in at full speed and just using the brakes.
“Everyone tried to remain really, really calm. There were a lot of kids on board, as you can imagine.
“Even the captain’s voice was shaking, he sounded scared but he just tried to reassure us saying ‘it’s going to be a bumpy landing, we’re going to be greeted by fire engines – but your safety is paramount’.
“It was quite scary coming down the runway, there were fire engines there straight away. You could see the smoke coming off the wheels and the brakes were screaming.”
The mum explained that she got into the brace position as she tried not to panic her children.
Other people remained surprisingly calm but one or two people were texting their family, the passenger told M.E.N.
Luckily the plane successfully landed at Manchester Airport with no reports of any injuries.
The passengers applauded the captain and he came out to greet everyone afterwards.
The fliers praised the captain’s skill but thought he looked quite “shaken up.”
Other passengers revealed they feared the plane was going to be set on fire from the technical malfunction.
“He couldn’t use the flaps to slow down so as soon as we hit the ground he would have to brake flat-out,” Penie Craig, 49, told Hull Live.
“It was just awful and my first thought was, ‘Oh my God, the plane was going to set on fire’ but I had to be calm because my son was there.
“When we did land there were six fire engines on the runway and my son said he saw them spray the wheels with water because they were that hot from the pilot having to break so hard.”
Jet2 organised coaches to take passengers back to Leeds Bradford afterwards.
A spokesman told Express.co.uk: “On descent towards Leeds Bradford Airport flight LS444 from Heraklion went into a holding pattern in order to assess a flap indication issue.
“The decision was taken to divert into Manchester Airport as a precautionary measure due to it having a longer runway to facilitate a smooth landing.
“The aircraft landed safely and onward transport was arranged for our customers back to Leeds. The safety of our customers is always our number one priority.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed a drunk Jet2 passenger had caused a woman to have a seizure after she panicked and screamed “We are all going to die” when their flight circled East Midlands Airport.
