A Delta plane, with 96 passengers onboard, landed safely at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear, according to the airline.
With 96 passengers on board, a plane made a nose-first touchdown after experiencing problems with its landing gear on Wednesday in Charlotte. The Delta flight 1092, a Boeing 717, was due to land at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday morning around 7:25am after departing Atlanta. A jet leaning forward and onto its nose is shown in horrifying photos as numerous emergency services rush to assist the passengers and crew. However, miraculously, neither the five Delta staff nor any of the 96 passengers were hurt during the incident.
A Boeing 717 operated by Delta has landed with broken nose gear “up” at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/IMzcOdRRr9
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres)The aircraft made a successful landing on the runway with its nose gear in the "up" position. The cause of the malfunction is being looked into. Officials from the airline stated that the crew knew about the issue as they got ready to land and started climbing again.
In a statement, Delta 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. Our next focus is to take care of our customers on this flight, including retrieving their bags and seeing them to their final destination."
The jet circled a few times before landing, according to the pilot, who reported 104 passengers to the Charlotte Douglas tower. Staff encouraged passengers to brace themselves as they reinforced safety instructions, but they reported to WSOC-TV that their landing was "smooth."
JUST IN: Delta Boeing 717 lands with the nose landing gear UP in Charlotte, 101 people on board unhurt after evacuating by emergency slides on runway 18L which is now closed. Passenger tells CNN crew did a "wonderful" job-- one fly-by followed by a "smooth" landing. pic.twitter.com/sbiGE7ao5s
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean)"The crew told us there was an issue with the landing gear and instructed us to go over safety information," said one passenger.
"We came in low once and then climbed again. The second time had us brace but the landing was smooth. No jarring or even loud noises. We were in the back so that may have been why. Everyone evacuated via slides. No injuries as far as I know. Crew and pilots were wonderful!" the passenger added.
The airplane's landing strip was shut down on Wednesday while it was being transferred to a safer area.
The problematic jet landing resulted in 21 cancellations and 72 delays at Charlotte Douglas as of 10:15 am local time.