 AN AEROPLANE carrying holidaymakers returning from a break in the sun was forced to crash land at Liverpool John Lennon Airport due to metal fatigue in its landing gear. An official accident report released last night revealed a fatigue crack had contributed to the collapse of the undercarriage as the plane touched down in May, 2001. It also revealed the crack had not been discovered in four earlier safety checks. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report on behalf of the Department of Transport confirmed this was the third case of a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 suffering landing gear failure due to fatigue cracking. The report stated: "Inspection and other mandatory preventive measures taken following two similar accidents did not prevent the occurrence of this third accident. "This was probably due to the small size of cracks which are required to be detected before reaching a critical dimension." The AAIB made five safety recommendations, including suggesting that authorities "provide guidance to the recommended best practice for the evacuation of infants and small children down escape slides with minimum delay." The incident sparked a full scale emergency with a fleet of ambulances and fire engines racing on to the runway. More than 1,500 holidaymakers were left facing long delays after the airport was closed while paramedics treated the injured. Most were transferred to Blackpool and Manchester airports after incoming flights were diverted. All 45 passengers and six crew were evacuated from the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 when the pilot carried out an emergency landing after the aircraft developed difficulties with its landing gear. The plane was being operated by holiday airline Spanair and was flying into Liverpool from Palma in Majorca. The right main landing gear collapsed on touchdown at Liverpool, with witnesses at the airport describing seeing a puff of smoke from the tyres and hearing a bang at the time. This was immediately followed by the aircraft dropping to the right, with the crew then announcing an emergency evacuation. The incident shocked onlookers at the crowded airport who saw the right wing of the MD-80 scraping along the runway before the aircraft came to a halt 160 metres away from where it initially touched down. There was a delay as cabin crew decided on the best way to evacuate small children and infants down the escape slides. | 
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