An Azul Airlines ATR 72-600 plane suffered a tailstrike as it performed a bumpy landing at a Brazilian airport.
According to Flightradar24, the turboprop aircraft left Aracaju Santa Maria Airport (AJU) on November 22, 2023, just before 8:40 am, local time, for Recife-Guararapes International Airport (REC).
As the Azul flight came into land shortly after 10 am, the aircraft appeared to be stable but as it neared the runway the ATR started to wobble, resulting in too much weight at the back of the aircraft.
The incident, which occurred on runway 18 at REC, was captured on film and shared over social media.
Photos of the aircraft’s underside showed minimal damage, although a number of marks caused by the impact were visible.
In a statement sent to AeroTime, Azul Airlines, emphasized that the “equipment stopped normally and all customers subsequently disembarked in complete safety and without any complications”.
The plane, registered PR-AKO, is due to depart REC for Mossoro Airport (MVF) on November 23, 2023, at 12:45 pm local time.
Azul ATR 72-600 damaged during a tailstrike incident while landing at Recife-Guararapes International Airport in Brazil.
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PR-AKO is one of four planes operated by Azul Airlines that has the Brazilian flag livery specially adorned on its exterior. The other three aircraft are an Embraer E190, an Airbus A330-200 and an A321neo.
The ATR 72-600 is typically configured with between 44 and 78 seats, according to the planemaker.