BA plane crash-lands after landing gear breaks off

Emergency services responded quickly. Photo / Facebook

A jet flying under British Airways colours has dramatically crash landed in South Africa after part of its landing gear broke off.

One passenger reported seeing sparks flying as the left wing of the Boeing 737 "scraped across the runway" as it came into land at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Fire crews rushed to the aircraft, run by the franchise Comair, after it touched down and the 94 people on board used an emergency staircase as they were led to safety.

Passenger Warren Mann told Traveller24 how the pilot informed those on board shortly before landing that the "left landing gear had broken off".

He added: "This caused the plane to hit the runway at an angle. We could see sparks as the left wing and the engines were scraped across the runway. The wing seemed completely broken off.

"We were met by fire and rescue operation who continued to spray the plane and we then disembarked via an emergency stairscase."

A Comair spokesman said that nobody had been hurt in the incident. "The incident involving a Boeing 737-400, registration ZS-OAA, experienced a failure with the landing gear shortly after touching down.

"The aircraft was on the runway for a short period performing standard landing procedures when the crew noticed an unusual vibration which was followed shortly by the collapse of the left landing gear. ACSA emergency services were dispatched and responded to the scene immediately and assisted passengers and crew to safely disembark."