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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower

Plane forced to abort landing as Storm Franklin winds make it sway dangerously

A plane full of passengers narrowly avoided disaster when heavy winds made the aircraft sway dangerously in the skies before the pilot aborted the landing.

Hundreds of services across the UK have been delayed or cancelled as a result of Storm Franklin ’s viscous 90mph gusts today.

At Manchester Airport a Turkish Airlines service was filmed coming into land in horrendous conditions.

But instead of a smooth arrival, the pilot was forced to engage the engines moments before the A321 slammed into the tarmac.

As it approached the runway it was seen swaying violently from side to side before suddenly taking off again just as one wheel touched the ground.

The hair-raising moment was caught on video and shared on social media.

A similar incident happened earlier in the day when a Virgin Atlantic flight from Islamabad in Pakistan to Manchester was diverted to Heathrow due to the heavy winds.

The plane was seen swaying dangerously in the wind in the footage shared online (storyful)

A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic told BlackCountryLive: "Due to adverse weather conditions at Manchester Airport the VS363 from Islamabad has diverted and requested a priority landing into London Heathrow.

"The aircraft landed as normal and we’re working with us customers to ensure they can complete their onward journeys as quickly as possible. We’d like to apologise for the disruption caused."

Storm Franklin is the third named storm in days to hit the UK, bringing strong winds and heavy rain leading to a number of flood warnings across the country.

Some of the highest wind gust speeds today reached 79mph in Capel Curig in Wales, and 78mph in Orlock Head, Northern Ireland.

It arrives days after Storm Eunice, which killed three people and left more than one million people without power.

Storm Franklin whipped up the sea in Porthcawl, Wales (REUTERS)

Public transport has been thrown into chaos with some providers even advising Brits simply “do not travel”.

Many of those services which weren’t preemptively cancelled have been by blocked or flooded tracks and roads.

As well as the yellow weather warning which remains across the UK until midday today, more than 450 flood warnings and alerts were issued.

This included two severe flood warnings where there was a risk to life on the River Mersey in East Didsbury and at West Didsbury and Northenden.

Workers stand near a stranded car partially submerged in water in Derbyshire (PA)

Rain was so heavy overnight some parts of Manchester began evacuating people, with over 400 homes at risk as the River Mersey burst its banks.

The weather is also causing havoc in Europe.

In France, a couple in their 70s died on Sunday after their car was swept into the English Channel near a small town in Normandy.

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