Faulty landing gear found on SAS planes

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Twenty-five of Scandinavian Airline System's 27 Dash 8-Q400 passenger planes have been found to have faulty landing gear, it was reported Friday.

A joint report by Scandinavian air transport officials followed incidents in which the undercarriages of SAS planes collapsed in Denmark and Lithuania, The Local reported, quoting the Danish news agency Ritzau.

SAS had canceled all flights involving the 78-passenger turboprop aircraft following the accidents, which both were caused by rusty bolts on hydraulic cylinders used to raise and lower the landing gear, Ritzau said.

"I have heard from several other airlines with these Dash planes that they have discovered similar faults," SAS inspector Karl-Erik Martensson told The Local. "I am surprised that so many planes were affected considering they were maintained entirely in accordance with the existing maintenance program. It shouldn't have been possible for this fault to occur."

SAS's Dash 8-Q400 planes were supplied by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.