Air New Zealand (ANZ) is seeking permission from authorities to fly a damaged Bombardier Q300 with its landing gear locked in place so the aircraft can be repaired following an incident earlier today.
Operated by ANZ subsidiary Air Nelson, the Q300 landed on its nose at Blenheim in New Zealand's South Island after its nose wheel failed.
Engineers are still inspecting the aircraft, which was moved off the runway after the incident, to determine if it can be moved to Air Nelson's main engineering base at Nelson Airport for repairs and further inspections, says ANZ.
"A special flight permit will be sought from the aircraft manufacturer Bombardier and the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority to fly it to Nelson with landing gear locked in place," says the Star Alliance airline.
It expects to move the aircraft within the next 36 hours, it adds.
Today's incident follows a similar one last September, when an Air Nelson Q300 also experienced a nose wheel failure. ANZ says its engineers' initial inspections suggest that the two incidents are not related.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
