A SUDDEN gust of wind may have caused a plane with 29 people on board to skid off a runway and plough into grass, according to an official report.
The Flybe Saab-Scania SF340B, operated by Logan Air, suffered extensive damage after its front landing gear, engines and belly became stuck in grass as it tried to take off from Stornoway Airport on January 2 this year.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report has found the windspeeds were around 65 knots, when the aircraft swung to the left and left the runway.
It told how the aircraft "skidded to the left, departing the runway surface onto the grass" before crossing a disused runway and ending up back on grass more than 800ft.
The crash alarm was activated and the airport's emergency plan put into action.
The report said: "After the aircraft came to a halt, the captain saw that the propellers were still turning and so called into the cabin for the passengers to remain seated.
"One of the passengers shouted for someone to open the emergency exit but the cabin crew member instructed the passengers not to do so because the propellers were still turning."
It continued: "When the passenger seated in the emergency exit row on the right of the aircraft saw that the right propeller had stopped, he decided to open the exit.
"He climbed out onto the wing and helped the remaining passengers leave the aircraft through the same exit, instructing them to slide off the rear of the wing onto the ground."
Reports at the time said two men on board the Loganair-operated plane were taken to Western Isles Hospital with minor injuries while two female passengers sustained minor injuries but declined medical help.
All the passengers were taken to the fire station and on to the passenger terminal once they got off the plane.
The report said the plane was examined, and had suffered significant damage bringing recording by the on-board flight data recorders to a premature end
It concluded the change of direction which sent the aeroplane sharply left could have been caused by one or a combination of factors including a change in wind speed and direction.
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