CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Delta Airlines plane with 101 people on board successfully landed without landing gear at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday morning, the airline said.
Meanwhile, flight delays continued to grow throughout the afternoon as the airport and Delta worked to remove the aircraft from the runway that CLT has now closed. It remained closed as of 1:30 p.m., the airport said.
Delta Flight 1092, a Boeing 717 coming from Atlanta, landed at about 9 a.m. and remains on the runway due to mechanical issues, according to the airport. Two pilots, three flight attendants and 96 passengers were on board, Delta said. Nobody was injured.
“While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios,” Delta said. “We apologize to our customers for their experience.”
A Delta Airlines plane sits on a runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 after it landed without landing gear. Delta Flight 1092, a Boeing 717 landed with 101 people onboard. The flight arrived in Charlotte from Atlanta, GA. The plane remains on the runway due to mechanical issues according to the airport.
Emergency personnel at the airport were in touch with the pilot, who reported that he discovered problems with the landing gear after first attempting to land the plane around 9 a.m.
Approaching the runway, the plane descended to an altitude below 1,000 feet before diverting from the landing, flight path data show.
At that point, the pilot began a “go around” and plans for the emergency landing began, according to emergency radio traffic obtained by The Charlotte Observer via Broadcastify.
”They’ll be landing with the front gear up,” fire personnel reported after the pilot flew over the area, reporting continued failure of the gear.
“The crew told us there was an issue with the landing gear and instructed us to go over safety information,” a passenger on the flight told Observer news partner WSOC. “We came in low once and then climbed again. Second time had us brace but the landing was smooth. No jarring or even loud noises.
“We were in the back so that may have been why. Everyone evacuated via slides. No injuries as far as I know. Crew and pilots were wonderful!”
The Charlotte Fire Department, which maintains two fire stations at the airport, had immediate emergency response as passengers deplaned, and quickly confirmed no one on board was hurt.
“So this just happened…” one passenger posted on Twitter. “On Delta flight 1092 and we just landed in Charlotte, without nose gear! The crew was amazing and the pilots landed it smoothly!”
Charlotte Fire Airport Station personnel reported no flames or fire coming from the aircraft, emergency radio traffic indicates.
Passengers were not screened or evaluated after the landing, according to Delta. The airline said compensation for the people on its plane will be determined later.
Meanwhile, the airport and Delta were working to remove the aircraft and expects it to impact airport operations. Around 2:45 p.m.., 273 flights were delayed and 29 were canceled, according to FlightAware.
Charlotte Douglas remains one of the busiest airports in the world.
The Airport Council International recently said CLT ranked seventh-busiest worldwide for arrivals and departures, according to the group’s preliminary rankings for 2022. Last year, the airport handled 505,589 arrivals and departures.
The airport is a hub for American Airlines, which handles the vast majority of flights from CLT.
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