Delta plane lands with nose gear up at Charlotte airport
None of the nearly 100 passengers aboard was injured during what airline officials called "a rare occurrence."
A Delta flight landed without its nose landing gear on Wednesday morning in Charlotte. (Courtesy Kristi Smith)
(CNN) — A Delta Air Lines flight landed with its “nose landing gear up” at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina on Wednesday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration says.
No injuries were reported from the incident, but the runway was closed while crews with the airport worked on removing the plane from the runway, CLT Airport shared in a post on Facebook.
The flight, operated on a Boeing 717, departed from Atlanta around 7:25 a.m., according to a Delta statement. There were 96 customers, two pilots and three flight attendants on board.
No injuries were reported from the landing. (Courtesy Kristi Smith)
“As it approached CLT, pilots received a “nose gear unsafe” indication. The crew initiated a missed approach procedure to further investigate the indication,” Delta said in a post on its website.
The airline said that initial reports show that the crew flew by the air traffic control tower in Charlotte so that air traffic controllers could visually inspect the plane. That observation indicated the nose landing gear doors were open, but the nose gear itself had not come down.
The plane landed at 8:58 a.m. EDT in Charlotte with the nose gear up, Delta said.
‘It was a smooth landing’
The pilots and crew on board were “calm and collected” during the emergency landing, said passenger Chris Skotarczak.
“The crew stepped up and started going over all the procedures and safety emergency protocols,” Skotarczak said.
“I could see the plane’s shadow and was able to see there was no nose gear down. We throttled back up and then circled a few times and finally came in for a landing. It was a smooth landing and pilots and crew were amazing. Calm and collected in the cabin and everyone remained calm.”
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,” Delta said in a statement to CNN. “While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios and flight 1092 landed safely without reported injuries. We apologize to our customers for their experience.”
The FAA will investigate why the nose gear did not come down during landing. Two other runways at the airport remain open and are handling existing demand, the FAA says.
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