Images have appeared tonight of an Austrian Airlines flight severely damaged by hailstorms, which happened on approach into Vienna.
Information has been released pertinent to this incident, which took place earlier today.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Austrian Airlines Flight OS434 – Palma de Mallorca to Vienna…
Austrian Airlines flight OS434 is a routine scheduled flight between Palma de Mallorca and Vienna.
The aircraft involved in this severe damage is registered as OE-LBM.
As per data from Planespotters.net, OE-LBM is a 23.1 year old Airbus A320 that started out life with LTU in July 2001.
By April 2004, it was handed over to LTU Austria, before being sent to Air Berlin in April 2008.
Furthermore, Austrian Airlines took delivery of the Airbus A320 in March 2013.
Of the A320ceo variant, OS has 29 of them in their fleet.
Furthermore, of that 29, all but one are in active service, with an average fleet age of 19.4 years.
Austrian Airlines flight OS434 departed Palma de Mallorca at 1555 local time this afternoon and headed to Vienna.
It is being reported that whilst on approach into the Austrian airport, it was severely damaged by a hailstorm in the area.
Despite the significant damage, the aircraft was able to land safely at 1759 local time, a few hours ago.
Below is some imagery from the scene at Vienna after it parked up on stand:
Furthermore, as you can see from the images above, it is clear how much damage the Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 has sustained.
Airline Releases Statement…
Following this incident, Austrian Airlines issued a statement, saying the following:
“On today’s flight OS434 from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna, an Airbus A320 aircraft was damaged by hail.”
“The aircraft encountered a thunderstorm cell on approach to Vienna, which the cockpit crew said was not visible on the weather radar.”
“According to current information, the two front cockpit windows of the aircraft, the nose of the aircraft (radome) and some panels were damaged by the hail.”
“The aircraft was able to land safely at Vienna-Schwechat Airport.”
“All passengers on the flight were uninjured.”
“The Austrian Airlines technical team has already been entrusted with the specific damage assessment of the aircraft in question.”
“The safety of our passengers and our crews is Austrian Airlines’ top priority.”
Aircraft Will Be Grounded…
Obviously, following this severe incident in Vienna, OE-LBM will be grounded until further notice.
Furthermore, it is unclear how long it will take to make the relevant repairs to the aircraft.
Damage like this could keep that particular aircraft grounded for a few days and maybe even weeks.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on how long it takes to fix the aircraft before it is allowed back into commercial service.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly Emergencies and Incidents newsletter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
