A FedEx Airlines Boeing BA.N cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkey’s transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.
The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.
Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.
Video footage obtained from Reuters showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.
The runway where the cargo plane landed has been temporarily closed to air traffic, but traffic on the other runways at the airport was continuing without any interruption, the airport operator IGA said.
There was no immediate comment from Boeing.
Boeing decided to overhaul its management this year amid mounting pressure from airlines, regulators and investors as it grapples with a growing crisis following a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane.
(Reuters)
