Flight With More Than 60 On Board Landed Safely

A portion of the left wing of a CityJet Avro RJ85 with more than 60 people on board separated from the airplane shortly after takeoff at 7:25 am local time from London City Airport Thursday.

The plane was en route to Florence, Italy when the incident occurred. The pilot returned to London City and landed safely, according to a report appearing in the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph.

A video posted on YouTube shows the damaged wing through one of the airplane's windows. Passengers reportedly told the flight crew, who alerted the pilot of the problem. They reported a loud "bang" when the incident occurred. Once back on the ground, they said the wing appeared to be badly burned.

In a statement, CityJet said that "the WX 281 flight had just taken off from London City Airport on its way to Florence when the cover of the operating mechanism on the wing became partially detached.

"Air Traffic Control were notified and the aircraft returned making a normal approach and landing."

A replacement airplane was found to take the passengers on to Florence, and CityJet said it hoped the damaged airplane could quickly be returned to service.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: www.aaib.gov.uk