A Delta plane managed to land safety at an airport in Charlotte despite missing its front landing gear.
The miraculous landing happened on Wednesday morning (28 June) at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
The flight had taken off from Atlanta earlier in the morning and travelled to Charlotte. The two pilots declared an emergency on board and the flight attendants briefed passengers on board about the situation.
According to ABC News, passengers said the landing was ‘smooth’, even though they were warned to brace for a ‘rough touchdown’.
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Passengers reportedly clapped when the plane touched down on the runway at approximately 8.40am local time.
The plane ‘nose dived’ into the landing strip, while footage of the plane shows the nose touching the runway and the tail in the air.
The passengers deplaned using the emergency slide and thankfully there were no injuries reported among the 96 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots on board the Boeing 717, the airline said.
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In a statement shared with UNILAD, a Delta spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. 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.”
Following the landing, Charlotte Douglas International Airport said: “[The runway] is closed following a mechanical issue with Delta Air Lines... The Airport is working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway."
Delays are expected at the airport in Charlotte following the landing incident.
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Later on Wednesday, the airline tweeted the following update: “Runway 18R/36L is currently closed following a mechanical issue with Delta Air Lines. No injuries reported. Passengers returned to the terminal. The Airport is working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway.”
A follow-up tweet read: “Due to a runway closure, passengers are advised to check with their airline on the status of their flight before coming to the Airport.”
One relieved social media user praised the crew, tweeting: “So glad everyone is OK. Kudos to the flight crew!”
While one woman whose son was a passenger said: “My son was on that plane. Front Landing gear did not come down. Landed safely. Pilot did phenomenal job.”
Gregory Robinson