SAS grounds Q400s after third incident

SAS is to stop flying Bombardier Q400 turboprops after a string of crash landings blamed on landing gear malfunctions, the airline’s chief executive said.

The Scandinavian airline took the decision the day after a 70-seat turboprop made by the Canadian company crash-landed with 44 people on board in Denmark when part of its landing gear collapsed, according to reports.

The accident followed two similar crash landings last month with the same type of aircraft, also known as the Dash 8-400, after which SAS temporarily grounded its fleet. No one was seriously injured in any of the accidents.

“Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft,” SAS chief executive Mats Jansson said.

“Accordingly, with the board of directors’ approval, I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service.”

The aircraft represent 15 to 20 per cent of the airline’s fleet, and are used for short-haul flights in Scandinavia and northern and central Europe.

The airline said it would replace its 27 turboprops, made by Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., with other types of aircraft in its fleet, as well as with leased aircraft. SAS warned that it would have to cancel flights “in the period immediately ahead,” but did not say how many.

SAS cancelled about 50 flights Sunday and Monday after Saturday’s emergency landing at Copenhagen airport. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely.

“According to preliminary information, the incident involved the main right-hand landing gear, which failed to fully extend for landing,” Bombardier said in a statement.

Confidence in the Q400 aircraft, which SAS had been using for regional flights, had been damaged by “repeated quality related problems,” SAS deputy CEO John Dueholm said.

“SAS’s flight operations have always enjoyed an excellent reputation and there is a risk that use of the Dash 8 Q400 could eventually damage the SAS brand,” he said.

On Sept. 9, a SAS turboprop made a crash landing in Aalborg, Denmark, because of a landing gear problem. Another of the airline’s Q400 planes was involved in a similar incident three days later in Lithuania.

SAS, the joint flag carrier of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, grounded its entire fleet of 27 Q400 aircraft for three weeks following the first two accidents in September, but had resumed flights earlier this month after replacing landing gear parts.

The airline has said it would demand about $75-million in compensation from Bombardier for costs and lost income for accidents involving the aircraft.