Following three incidents involving faulty landing gear on Q400 aircraft, SAS Group decided to remove its 27 turboprops from service permanently owing to safety issues as well as concerns about its image and financial health.

The latest incident occurred Oct. 27 when the right main landing gear failed to extend fully on a flight into Copenhagen. No injuries were reported among the 40 passengers and four crewmembers onboard.

Q400s accounted for approximately 5% of SAS's total seat capacity. The company returned the fleet to service on Oct. 4 following a brief grounding and subsequent maintenance checks.

"Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft. Accordingly, with the Board of Directors' approval, I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8-Q400 aircraft from service," SAS Group President and CEO Mats Jansson said in a statement.

SAS is in discussions with Bombardier regarding possible solutions. It reportedly is considering both standard and ACMI leases until it can begin implementing a long-term solution in the second half of next year. It cancelled 72 flights on Oct. 29. Sweden's Dagens Industri reported that SAS Group estimated a negative impact on full-year revenue of SEK300-SEK400 million (US$47-US$62.7 million) as a result of the Q400s' removal.

None of the other 21 Q400 operators worldwide have reported problems similar to those at SAS, a Bombardier spokesperson said. As for SAS's decision to remove the aircraft from service, the manufacturer said it was "disappointed." In a statement, it said that the latest incident appeared unrelated to the previous two. It said it informed other operators about the incident but did not recommend changes to normal flight operations.

EASA said it would decide if further emergency ADs on the Q400 are in order, adding, "The possible cause or causes of this accident are still unknown at the present time."