German police Monday hailed the pilot of an Austrian Airlines plane after it was forced to make an emergency belly landing on a snow-covered field at Munich airport, southern Germany.
The Fokker 70 jet, with 28 passengers and four crew aboard, landed on open ground about two kilometres (1.3 miles) from the runway at the airport, which is Germany's second biggest.
The pilot had reported an engine problem to the control tower as he was coming in to land after taking off an hour earlier from Vienna.
Police said eight people were slightly hurt, although airport officials put the number at only one, and the plane's undercarriage was badly damaged.
A police spokesman said it had been "a masterly performance" by the pilot, whose actions had prevented even worse damage.
Cushioned by the snow, the aircraft slid some 300 metres (yards) along the tree-less field before coming to a halt. Passengers and crew were then bussed to the airport terminal.
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