“Passengers who saw a wheel fall off a plane as it took off did not immediately inform the crew, a report has said.”

Passengers who saw a wheel fall off a plane as it took off did not immediately inform the crew, a report has said.

The accident happened in March on a Flybe flight from Exeter to Newcastle.

The captain returned to Exeter and used the emergency brake and “significant amounts of right rudder” to safely land the plane. No-one was injured.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the wheel’s outer bearing had seized.

A mayday alert was sent to air traffic controllers and after circling the airport for more than an hour, the 39 passengers on board the Bombardier Q400 were “evenly distributed” in the brace position as the captain attempted to land the plane.

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