A small plane veered off the runway of the Virgin Gorda Airport shortly after it landed on Saturday due to trouble with its landing gear, officials said.
The pilot of the twin-engine aircraft told police that at about 2 p.m. the plane’s left wheel retracted, forcing it off the runway and damaging the left wing, according to a police press release. The plane, owned by the air charter company Island Birds, carried only the pilot, whose name was not released.
As a standard safety measure, a crew of nine fire officers used a hose reel to wet down the plane, according to Deputy Chief Fire Officer William Penn. An ambulance also responded, but no injuries were reported, Mr. Penn said.
The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom government. Citing that investigation, Marshall Hodges, an Island Birds pilot, declined to give details about what happened, though he characterised the occurrence as a “very minor, simple, gentle incident.”
See the April 28, 2011 edition for full coverage.