A FedEx Express Boeing 767 cargo plane made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday after its front landing gear failed to deploy. Despite this setback, the skilled pilot managed to keep the plane on the runway, avoiding any casualties. The incident occurred during a flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Turkey’s transport ministry is currently investigating the cause of the landing gear failure.
The FedEx Airlines cargo plane, which had departed from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, communicated to the control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to deploy. Despite this issue, the skilled pilot successfully landed the aircraft with assistance from the tower. The Turkish transport ministry provided this information in an official statement.
Emergency response teams at the airport were alerted and prepared for action as the FedEx cargo plane approached the runway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Despite the successful landing, the transport ministry has not yet provided an explanation for the landing gear failure.
The cargo plane in question is an approximately 10-year-old Boeing 767 freighter, which shares its design with the widely used 767 passenger model from the 1980s.
FedEx issued a statement indicating that they are collaborating with the investigation authorities and will share further details as they become available.
A Boeing 767 cargo plane crash-landed at Istanbul airport with a loose landing gear
The plane belonging to the American postal company Fedex was on a flight from Paris. It landed only at the second attempt and "pecked" its nose into the runway. There were no casualties. pic.twitter.com/d1OsgUrxVq
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 8, 2024
Reuters captured video footage that revealed sparks and smoke emanating from the front of the plane as it scraped along the runway. Eventually, the aircraft came to a stop and was subsequently sprayed with firefighting foam.
While the runway was temporarily closed to air traffic, other runways at the airport continued to operate normally, according to the airport operator IGA. Typically, manufacturers are not directly involved in the operation or maintenance of jets once they are in service.
However, Boeing has faced significant media and regulatory scrutiny due to a series of incidents involving its smaller 737 aircraft.
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