Southend RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Essex Euro-MP's plane forced to make emergency landing

Richard Howitt Richard Howitt

AN MEP feared he would die as the plane he was on was forced to make an emergency landing.

Richard Howitt, Labour MEP for the East of England, was on a Czech Airlines flight to Macedonia on his way to a conference on Friday evening when the plane got into trouble.

After circling for 40 minutes, the pilot told passengers he had no choice but to make an emergency landing in Skopje.

Mr Howitt said: “I thought to myself these could be my last moments on Earth.”

Mr Howitt said his thoughts turned to his partner Diana and his two children and his last phone conversations with them before boarding the plane.

The plane eventually made a bumpy landing at Skopje, where Mr Howitt, despite his ordeal,

Comments(9)

The Cater Wood Creeper says...
8:52am Mon 13 Feb 12

he was allegedly, more worried about the fact that he hadn't claimed back the fare on his expenses yet....

j-w says...
9:08am Mon 13 Feb 12

what really happened. "Incident: CSA B735 at Skopje on Feb 11th 2012, flaps problems
By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Feb 12th 2012 16:47Z, last updated Sunday, Feb 12th 2012 16:47Z

A CSA Czech Airlines Boeing 737-500, registration OK-XGC performing flight OK-848 (dep Feb 10th) from Prague (Czech) to Skopje (Macedonia), aborted the approach to Skopje due to a flaps problem and entered a holding for about 40 minutes to troubleshoot the problem and burn off fuel. The aircraft subsequently landed safely at a higher than normal speed coming to a stop at the end of the runway (landing distance available 2450 meters/8040 feet).

The aircraft was able to perform the return flight OK-849 after about 5.5 hours on the ground (4.5 hours scheduled ground time) and reached Prague with a delay of one hour."

ooh scary! not.
anything for a bit of publicity eh? I am more interested in why he was going to Macedonia, how many of these types of trips are made and are they needed now we have internet, video conferencing etc.

John the resonator says...
9:33am Mon 13 Feb 12

I look forward to reading the eyewitness accounts of all the other passengers on that 737.

DCLEIGH says...
9:57am Mon 13 Feb 12

j-w wrote:
what really happened. "Incident: CSA B735 at Skopje on Feb 11th 2012, flaps problems
By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Feb 12th 2012 16:47Z, last updated Sunday, Feb 12th 2012 16:47Z

A CSA Czech Airlines Boeing 737-500, registration OK-XGC performing flight OK-848 (dep Feb 10th) from Prague (Czech) to Skopje (Macedonia), aborted the approach to Skopje due to a flaps problem and entered a holding for about 40 minutes to troubleshoot the problem and burn off fuel. The aircraft subsequently landed safely at a higher than normal speed coming to a stop at the end of the runway (landing distance available 2450 meters/8040 feet).

The aircraft was able to perform the return flight OK-849 after about 5.5 hours on the ground (4.5 hours scheduled ground time) and reached Prague with a delay of one hour."

ooh scary! not.
anything for a bit of publicity eh? I am more interested in why he was going to Macedonia, how many of these types of trips are made and are they needed now we have internet, video conferencing etc.
Well researched.
There is nothing more delightful than seeing a publicity seeking politician getting outed by the simple expedient of the truth.
Thanks !

DCLEIGH says...
9:58am Mon 13 Feb 12

MInd you.
I'd have sh&t myself !!!

The Cater Wood Creeper says...
6:07pm Mon 13 Feb 12

DCLEIGH wrote:
MInd you. I'd have sh&t myself !!!
howitt probably put in a dry cleaning bil for getting rid of the brown stripe in his trousers!

Minceir says...
11:08pm Mon 13 Feb 12

Planes are the devils dragon flys. Avoiding them at all costs.

Minceir says...
1:12pm Tue 14 Feb 12

happyinjaywick wrote:
Minceir wrote:
Planes are the devils dragon flys. Avoiding them at all costs.
flys ?
Flies old luv.

the same as your devils trousers!
I stand corrected even though i was punning of the silver birds that roar through the sky.

Ivanna Goodhump says...
6:47pm Fri 17 Feb 12

He should have taken the Gravy Train he normally uses...

click2find

Most popular


About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree