All 6 people aboard EHS LifeFlight plane are safe following emergency landing

Six people, including two patients, aboard a small EHS LifeFlight plane are safe following an emergency landing at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Saturday.

Tiffany Chase, a spokesperson with the Halifax International Airport Authority, said the incident occurred around 3 p.m. AT.

Chase said the medevac aircraft notified the airport tower that it was returning after departure due to a "suspected mechanical issue."

"A short time later the aircraft landed on runway 14 and it stopped on the runway, unable to taxi off on its own," Chase said in an emailed statement.

According to the Transportation and Safety Board of Canada, the main landing gear of the Beech 200 had collapsed. The TSB is now investigating.

"We are thankful that all six people on board, including two patients, are safe with no reported injuries," Colin Flynn, the senior manager at EHS LifeFlight in Halifax, said in an emailed statement Sunday.

"When it was determined that an emergency landing was necessary, we immediately dispatched ground ambulances to the airport to facilitate patient transport."

EHS LifeFlight serves Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and provides some backup services to New Brunswick.

Flynn said there was a short service disruption for EHS LifeFlight on Saturday "while we ensured the wellbeing of all our staff."

He said the plane will be out of service for an "extended period," but EHS is working with its partner, PAL Aerospace, to make another aircraft available immediately.

In the meantime, service has resumed with its helicopter and critical care ground unit.

Flynn said TSB was immediately contacted. 

TSB investigators have taken photos at the airport and secured parts for analysis, according to TSB spokesperson Dean Campbell.

Campbell said investigators will continue to assess the situation to determine their next steps