A report has found an aircraft en-route from Birmingham to Cork in 2016 suffered two electrical faults.

There were 59 passengers and four crew on-board the scheduled passenger flight on the morning of August 24th that year.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said the flight was uneventful until just before the aircraft began its descent into Cork, at which point the flight crew received a master caution, triggered by the electrical faults.

This was followed by a master warning, which saw electrical smoke in the cockpit.

The flight crew put on their oxygen masks and declared an emergency to Air Traffic Control.

Checklists were completed, including a manual gear extension checklist.

The smoke cleared and the aircraft landed normally. There were also no injuries.

A subsequent examination of the aircraft found the source of smoke and fumes to be a static inverter - a device used to change current directions.

A replacement unit was installed and the aircraft was returned to service.

The AAIU found flight crew members were appropriately licensed, and the airworthiness certification for the aircraft was valid.

It has recommended operators of the ATR 42/72 aircraft should consider providing specific guidance to flight crew on re-instating electrical supply to unaffected equipment for essential services.