Yesterday, Tuesday 24 October at 13.02, one of our Dash-8 aircraft had to make a so-called "soft landing" in Nuuk, because one of the tires on the landing gear was punctured. As can be seen in the video, the landing was without drama as Mittarfeqarfiit's preparedness was ready. The plane's crew gave the 26 on board an explanation of the situation during the flight before landing and a debriefing on arrival in Nuuk.

We have spoken to the plane's captain, Edd Arne Lund, who describes the incident as follows;

- We were on our way from Kulusuk when a passenger notices that one tire on the landing gear looks flat when it is being lowered. It is two minutes before the scheduled landing. The person informs our Cabin Attendant who passed the message on to us, Edd Arne Lund begins.

Air Greenland's pilots are trained to handle these kinds of situations and follow procedures, just like in this case, of having to land with a punctured tyre. Edd Arne, who has been with us for 25 years, has tried it himself before.

- When we take off and land on a gravel runway like in Kulusuk, the tires can be punctured as they are loaded. Therefore, it is important for our passengers to know that we have procedures to follow. In this case, we pilots had to first see the punctured tire ourselves and assess the extent. We will then inform Air Greenland's Operations Center, OP, about the situation, he says and continues

 - Then we discussed what we should do and considered whether we should fly to Kangerlussuaq, but since the runway in Nuuk is now wider, we decided to land there, he says.

 Once the decision has been made, preparations begin as the plane circles over Nuuk.

 - We will notify Mittarfeqarfiit that there must be fire trucks ready and then we will explain our plan to the passengers. They are moved to other seats, away from the side of the plane where the deck on the landing gear is flat. It is for their safety, he explains.

When the passengers had been briefed and the emergency services at the airport were ready, Edd Arne and his co-pilot, Jakob Blaabjerg, prepared for landing.

- Our plan is to hit the runway softly with the left landing gear first as early on the runway as possible, followed by the other landing gear. It went as planned. The plane landed softly on both main wheels at the same time. Even though the plane has 2 wheels on each axle, it is entirely possible to land on one of them if one is punctured, the captain emphasizes.

- Then it was important to debrief the passengers and we chose to do it inside the plane on the apron. Our Cabin Attendant, Edvard, translated into Greenlandic and gave the passengers the opportunity to ask questions. It wasn't there. They clapped, so it was like an indication that they were OK and could leave the plane, Edd Arne Lund explains.

Aircraft OY-GRR was then towed into the hangar to have the tire replaced, while Captain Edd Arne Lund and his crew had to file a safety report before being told their shift was over. Otherwise, they should have gone to Kulusuk again to pick up stranded passengers, but as a plane had to be prepared first, the crew would run out of time before the rest time regulations came into force.