A PLANE arriving at Leeds Bradford Airport suffered "catastrophic failure" of a nosewheel bearing - but could still have been kept on the runway, a report has found.

The Tui flight was arriving at the Yeadon airport from Corfu during Storm Babet when it veered off the runway shortly before noon on October 20, 2023.

Dramatic pictures from the time showed the Boeing 737 at the side of the runway with emergency services at the scene. 

The aircraft had 195 passengers and six crew on board. 

No injuries were reported and the plane sustained minor damage, according to the AAIB, which has published its report on the incident today.

One of the aircraft's nosewheel bearings suffered a "catastrophic failure" which resulted in the plane "juddering". 

The AAIB said: "Pilots are trained to deal with non-normal and emergency events and the aircraft deviation from the runway centreline may have been considered a challenging situation by the crew.

"There was limited time for the crew to assess the cause of the judder and the practical impact it had on the directional control of the aircraft and surprise or startle may have been a factor.

"However, as the aircraft approached the side of the runway, it is not clear why the PF (pilot flying) did not attempt to use all right rudder available, in spite of the judder, to prevent the runway excursion."

The AAIB said no mechanical impediment was identified that would have prevented the use of additional rudder and braking to prevent the runway excursion. 

Explaining the circumstances, the AAIB said: "After touching down at LBA in stormy weather, the aircraft began to yaw left of the runway centreline.

"When the pilot flying increased the right rudder input to correct the deviation, both pilots reported feeling a significant judder from the nose gear. 

"This prompted the pilot flying to reduce the right rudder input and, although there were repeated brief right pedal inputs, the aircraft continued to deviate from the centreline and left the runway.

"The aircraft sustained minor damage and there were no injuries.

"The investigation found that one of the aircraft's nosewheel bearings had suffered a catastrophic failure, likely during the rollout at LBA. 

"The resultant juddering was unexpected, and the crew were uncertain as to its impact.

"However, the investigation found that there was in fact no mechanical impediment to the use of additional rudder and braking to prevent the runway excursion."

The report concluded: "The deviation from the centreline, resulting from the strong crosswind from the left, required more right rudder input than was applied, in order to correct it. 

"Additional use of differential braking to assist was also available.

"There was an unusual juddering from the nosewheel reported by the crew likely resulting from the failure of a nosewheel bearing. 

"There was no mechanical defect identified by the investigation which would have prevented the crew from applying the additional right rudder that was available to keep the aircraft on the runway."

The Telegraph & Argus has approached Tui for comment.