What happened
On the morning of the incident, an ATR 72 (registration G-LGNL) was prepared for a commercial flight from Stornoway Airport to Glasgow Airport, carrying 26 passengers and three crew members. During taxiing toward Holding Point A1 for departure from Runway 18, air traffic control reported a surface wind of 270 degrees at 27 knots. The pilot noted the significant crosswind component during the takeoff roll.
As the aircraft accelerated, the crew applied rudder to maintain the centerline. However, as the speed increased, the aircraft experienced a series of heading changes before a rapid deviation to the left occurred. Despite attempts by the pilot to correct the heading with right rudder, the aircraft skidded off the paved surface and onto the grass at an indicated airspeed of 80 kt. The aircraft continued across a disused runway on the grass, at which point the nose landing gear collapsed. The aircraft eventually came to a stop approximately 38 meters left of the runway edge.
Following the stop, the engines remained at high power with the propellers still rotating. While the crew attempted to manage the situation and shut down the engines using fire extinguishers, a passenger opened the right-side emergency exit to assist others in evacuating via the wing. Emergency services arrived while the evacuation was still in progress. There were no injuries reported among the 29 people on board.
Findings
- The aircraft encountered strong crosswinds during the takeoff roll.
- The aircraft deviated from the runway centerline and subsequently exited the paved surface.