Passenger plane pilot's 'arm falls off' while landing

An accident report confirmed that a pilot lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm fell off as he was coming in to land.

17:46 14 August 2014

On February 12, a Flybe passenger plane from Birmingham carrying 47 passengers landed heavily on the airport but no one was hurt and the plane was not damaged.

 

However, the accident report reveals something rather unusual in this particular heavy landing: the pilot lost control of the aircraft after his artificial arm fell off as he was coming in to land. The pilot said he would be more cautious in the future about checking his attachment, according to the report. 

 

Meanwhile, Flybe has released a statement saying that the pilot is one of its “most experienced and trusted pilot” and that the safety of the passengers and crew had not been compromised in any way. 

 

Captain Ian Baston, Flybe's director of flight operations and safety, said it was an equal opportunities employer and "in common with most airlines, means we do employ staff with reduced physical abilities".

 

"The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority," he said. 

 

"This means that Flybe not only adheres to the Civil Aviation Authority's strict requirements relating to the employment of staff with a reduced physical ability, but exceeds them to ensure that safety is never compromised."