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.
“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.
The runway was still closed as of about 2 p.m., according to a post on the airport’s website.
“We are asking customers to check with their airline for updated status before coming to the Airport.”
‘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.”
All passengers were bussed off the plane and taken to the terminal.
Two other runways at the airport remained open while the affected runway was closed, the FAA said.
The FAA will investigate why the nose gear did not come down during landing. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.
