PAL Airlines pulls plane out of service after it lost a wheel in two separate flights

PAL Airlines is pulling a Dash 8-400 from service after a wheel loss occurred on departure from Goose Bay, Labrador, during a Thursday flight bound for Deer Lake in western Newfoundland. The incident led to an unscheduled diversion to St. John’s, Newfoundland, and marked the second wheel-loss event for the same aircraft in under two weeks, with a similar wheel loss having occurred on October 30, according to the airline.

PAL Airlines says it is conducting wheel-assembly inspections across its Dash 8-400 fleet while coordinating with Transport Canada and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada to determine the underlying cause. The airline did not provide a definitive finding yet and emphasized that maintenance and investigation are underway as part of the response to the two incidents.

Passengers affected by the diversion to St. John’s on Thursday are being rescheduled on new flights to Deer Lake as PAL undertakes maintenance and investigation into the wheel issues. The carrier indicated that it would rebook those travelers onto alternative itineraries as the investigation progresses and the aircraft is taken out of service.

Additional context on the same event from Tenerife Weekly notes that six flights were canceled at Canarian airports amid a general strike that began early on Wednesday, with Canarian authorities (Aena) confirming the disruption. The six cancellations in the Canary Islands occurred across Gran Canaria and Tenerife South airports, out of 1,176 flights that were scheduled that day. Airlines operating in the archipelago reportedly accommodated affected passengers on earlier departures where possible as part of the disruption.

Weather conditions contributed to broader disruption in the Canaries, with Canarian Weekly reporting gale-strength winds from Storm Charles affecting schedule changes across multiple carriers. The report estimates 28 flights were canceled due to the storm in the region and an additional 16 flights diverted due to challenging landing conditions at several airports, tying weather to the timing and scale of disruptions observed during the general strike.

The Canarian Weekly piece also references coverage from The Connexion about a wave of flight disruptions across southern France linked to Storm Charles as the weather system approached, with cancellations on routes such as Nice to Lisbon and Nice to Madrid. Riviera Radio’s reporting cited weather-related disruptions at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport on November 11, noting heavy rain and gusty winds across Spain and Portugal, though those outlets did not provide a complete tally of cancellations for all affected flights.

Demócrata’s reporting adds a separate aviation-safety incident: a West Coast Helicopters Hughes 500 participating in a forestry mission crashed on the West Coast, resulting in the pilot’s death and one worker’s fatality, with a third occupant sustaining serious injuries. The report does not provide flight specifics, weather conditions, or operational details. It also notes Barajas airport cancellations at the outset of the general strike, with six flights canceled there, though without an explicit linkage to the PAL Airlines event.

Daily Express coverage of related events mentions a British Airways service disruption prompting withdrawal from a major UK gateway, leading to the cancellation of all flights at that airport, with broader implications for BA’s network. Separate RNZ material describes a tail-strike incident involving a British Airways aircraft during an approach to London Heathrow, though it does not specify aircraft type, timing, injuries, or precise flight details. The RNZ material also notes that investigators or formal statements about causes were not included in the material.

Simple Flying’s reporting adds a separate thread regarding an AAIB bulletin about a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig, which experienced a tail strike on its initial landing attempt at Heathrow, went around, and on a second landing attempt was written off. This piece emphasizes the AAIB bulletin and notes that emergency-response specifics and casualty information were not provided in the available material, and no other aircraft were reported involved.