Dramatic video shows a Boeing cargo plane skidding down a runway on its belly and nose early Wednesday when its landing gear malfunctioned.
The FedEx Airlines’ Boeing 763 radioed ahead for permission to make the emergency belly landing as it approached Istanbul from Paris, according to a Turkish Transport Ministry official.
Video showed the nearly 10-year-old freighter jet landing on its functioning rear wheels, before slowly lowering to horizontal — then tipping down on its nose with no front wheels to support it.
It then continued down the runway still tipped forward on its front, with smoke billowing from flames sparked by the friction.
The plane eventually came to a halt, thankfully with the flames not taking hold. It was then quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles, which were already put on standby thanks to the earlier request for the belly landing.
The cabin crew successfully evacuated the plane without any injuries, the Turkish transport official said.
Istanbul Airport was temporarily closed as the damaged jet — a nearly 10-year-old Boeing 767 freighter — was moved off the runway. The ministry gave no reason for the failure, which it said is under investigation.
The drama came amid intense scrutiny of Beoing, with a series of whistleblowers accusing the manufacturer of lax safety standards and regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents.
In June last year, a small Boeing 717 flown by Delta Airlines made a similar smooth landing without a nose gear in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an incident later blamed on a fractured component.
Boeing referred queries about Wednesday’s emergency landing to FedEX, which said it was coordinating with investigation authorities and would “provide additional information as it is available.”
With Post wires
