KLM 737 slides off runway in Norway

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 737-800 on route to Amsterdam has made an emergency landing at Norway’s Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport following an apparent hydraulic failure.

Flight KL1204 had taken off from Oslo Airport on 28 December and was diverted shortly after takeoff after “a loud noise was heard,” confirmed the airline in a statement. Local media reported smoke observed was emanating from the left engine, with pilots having allegedly told the tower that they were unable to control the aircraft. After landing, the aircraft veered off the runway “into the grass at low speed,” with all 176 passengers and six crew members unharmed.

With the aircraft resting in the grass adjacent to the runway, “the crew of the ‘plane confirms that there are no injuries in connection with the incident,” reported the Norwegian police, which added that the Accident Investigation Board Norway was also notified of the accident. The police completed their accident investigation at the scene shortly before midnight local time and, in consultation with the Accident Investigation Board, released the aircraft.

As of this morning, the airport remains closed, with inbound scheduled services being diverted to Oslo Gardemoen Airport. A KLM technical team arrived in Sandejford this morning “to investigate the circumstances of the incident together with local authorities and the airport in accordance with aviation procedure, and retrieve the aircraft as soon as possible,” concluded KLM.