Flights at Birmingham Airport were suspended for over five hours on Wednesday after a light aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing. The incident, which occurred around 1:45pm, led to the closure of the runway until shortly before 8pm.
Emergency services, including police, fire crews, and paramedics, responded to the scene. Three people aboard the aircraft were assessed and discharged at the scene, with one suffering minor injuries, according to West Midlands Police.
The aircraft, a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air owned by Woodgate Aviation, was en route to Belfast International Airport when it developed landing gear problems. The plane's main undercarriage collapsed on touchdown, according to the company.
Passengers faced significant delays even after the runway reopened, with some flights scheduled as late as 12:10am on Thursday. Diana Celella, an interior designer from Sutton Coldfield, was among those affected, facing a nearly three-hour delay on her return from Lisbon.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation, sending inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering, and recorded data to the scene. The same type of aircraft was involved in a fatal crash at London Southend Airport in July.
