The plane, a Dornier DO-228, had taken off from Bragança in northern Portugal on 14 April and was operating a scheduled flight from Vila Real with stops in Viseu and Cascais.
The aircraft belongs to the Portimão-based (Algarve) regional airline Aero Vip, which also operates the widely-reported Vila Real – Portimão route, linking southern Portugal to the north.
According to the Portuguese Office for Prevention and Investigation into Aircraft Accidents (GPIAA) the flight had skipped the planned Viseu stop “due to weather conditions” and “proceeded directly to Cascais, on a scheduled air transport flight with 11 passengers and 2 crew members on board.”
However, during the final approach to Cascais Aerodrome, at an altitude of around 100 feet, “the aircraft hit a seagull that was sucked into the engine #1”, the GPIAA reports.
The affected engine – the left-hand engine – “stopped immediately”; the crew selected the ‘feather’ position for the propeller, and continued for a safe landing on the Cascais Aerodrome runway shortly after.
“The crew carried out the emergency procedures to place the propeller on the feather position and informed the control tower of the bird-strike. The aircraft taxied by its own means to the platform place, where passengers were disembarked normally”, the GPIAA elaborated, adding: “Upon inspection performed by the operator’s maintenance technicians, significant damage was found on the first stage of the compressor engine #1, being necessary to proceed with its removal for repair.”
The GPIAA has launched an investigation into the incident.