South African carrier Airlink has suffered another British Aerospace Jetstream incident, less than two months after a fatal crash in Durban.
The airline's flight SA8488 veered off the runway at Port Elizabeth while departing for East London. None of the 29 passengers and three crew members was injured and the carrier is checking the aircraft for damage.
Airlink is attributing the incident to "extremely bad" weather conditions. Meteorological data shows reduced visibility and the presence of drizzle at the time of the incident, 15:42, and winds of around 20kt from the east.
The carrier says a "high velocity wind squall caused a loss of directional control" during the take-off roll, resulting in the aircraft's coming off the runway.
Airlink adds: "The quick-thinking pilots immediately aborted the take-off roll. The aircraft stopped in the grass just off the runway.
"The aircraft appears not to be damaged but will be towed out of the grass verge and properly assessed."
One of the three crew members on board an Airlink Jetstream died last month, two weeks after the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off on a positioning flight on 24 September.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
