Two ground workers have been hospitalised after Iron Maiden's plane crashed into a tow truck at an airport in Chile.

In addition to the injuries suffered by the tug operators, two engines on the the Boeing 747-400 were extensively damaged.

The accident happened when a pin connecting the plane to the truck dislodged and the two vehicles crashed into each other on the tarmac at Santiago Airport.

Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson often pilots the airliner, named Ed Force One.

A statement on the band's website reads: "Ed Force One was this morning tethered to a tow truck to be taken for refuelling prior to flying over the Andes to Cordoba for the next show. On moving the steering pin that is part of the mechanism that connects the ground tug to the aircraft seemingly fell out. On making a turn the aircraft had no steering and collided with the ground tug badly damaging the undercarriage, two of the aircrafts engines and injuring two ground tug operators, both of whom have been taken to hospital."

The aircraft will now undergo emergency maintenance, where it is believed two engines may need replacing.

Two shows in Cordoba tomorrow and then Buenos Aires in Argentina are set to go ahead as planned. The plane, named Ed Force One after the band's mascot Eddie, was flown from Cardiff to Florida by lead singer Bruce, a qualified jumbo jet pilot back in February this year. The band jetted to the U.S. for the first date of their The Book Of Souls World Tour, which took place at Florida's BB&T Center on February 15.

Lead singer Bruce, 57, trained on a simulator at Cardiff Aviation, his aircraft maintenance facility in Wales, for a licence to fly the massive Boeing 747-400, nicknamed Queen of the Skies. On board are the London-based heavy metal band plus their roadies, technicians and all their equipment.

The jumbo is almost twice the size and over three times the weight of the Boeing 757 used on Iron Maiden's previous tours in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Iron Maiden, made up of Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers made their debut in 1975. The are considered one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, selling over 90 million albums worldwide.