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View Full Version : JetBlue plane with gear trouble lands safely at LAX


3dGameMan
09-22-2005, 07:22 AM
JetBlue plane with gear trouble lands safely at LAX: ~source (http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/09/21/Jetblue_20050921.html)

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/pix/jetblue_landing2_cp_8500342.jpg

CBC News

A JetBlue airliner with landing gear problems landed safely at Los Angeles International airport Wednesday evening after circling the area for several hours to burn off fuel.

After burning off the fuel to lighten the plane and reduce the danger from a possible fire, the pilots landed the Airbus A-320 by holding the nose of the aircraft off the runway as long as possible.

The main gear touched the runway first, then the front gear -- which had been stuck sideways -- finally came down and the nose wheel tires burned up as the front gear skidded and dragged along the runway.

JetBlue Flight 292 left Burbank's Bob Hope Airport with 140 passengers on a flight to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.


Passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television as satellite TV sets aboard the plane were tuned to news broadcasts. The sets were turned off a few minutes before landing in Los Angeles.

Zachary Mascoon of New York said it was "surreal" to watch his plane's fate being discussed on live TV while it was in the air.

When they tried to retract the gear shortly after takeoff from Burbank, the pilots discovered the plane's front wheels were turned sideways and stuck .

The plane first circled the Long Beach Airport, about 50 kilometres south of Burbank, then was cleared to land at Los Angeles which has longer runways and more fire rescue equipment and personnel.


After the safe emergency landing, some passengers were to take a specially arranged JetBlue to New York, others were put up in hotels and given reservations for Thursday flights. Some went home.

A JetBlue spokeswoman said the airline was investigating the incident with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board...

MaStA
09-22-2005, 10:36 PM
Good American pilots! ;)

That landing looked just as good as one without the tire getting stuck sideways. Great to see everyone safe! :Thumb

Jared

Kindom934
09-24-2005, 04:43 PM
One thing that was interesting about this was that the passengers were watching it in the plane as it unfolded, as they have an TV in there...quite interesting.....

MaStA
09-24-2005, 06:15 PM
I know on the AWACS here at Tinker AFB, which is a Boeing 707/320 airframe, the nose landing gear tires have to turn sideways to fit into the belly. Something is in there that automatically is supposed to turn the wheels straight when the landing gear comes out, so that must of been what failed. There is a little like steering wheel type device in the cockpit to steer the nose landing gear so I don't see how they couldn't of turned it straight. Obviously something was stuck so they couldn't do it. Either way it's good everyone is alright! :)

Jared

maud'ib
09-24-2005, 07:44 PM
I remember hearing reports of stowaways trying to hide out in the landing gear wells :nuts More often than not they get rather mangled by the experience - it's pretty gory.

I'm wondering if something like that happened here and wound up jamming up the works. I don't think anything like that will end up in the news.

In any case the flight crew deserves major kudos for getting that plane down in one piece and with no injuries. All it would have taken was for the plane to put a little too much weight on that wheel and things would have turned out very different.

Man, I hate flying. These accidents are happening way to frequently.