Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Pilot Pulls Off Emergency Landing
By Katie Burford
Journal Staff Writer
A pilot spent an anxious 1 1/2 hours Tuesday circling the Albuquerque International Sunport after his landing gear failed to fully engage.
The problem was discovered about 6:30 p.m. Shortly before 8 p.m., the man, whose name was not immediately available, made the decision to land the Cessna Skymaster 337 despite the front tire remaining stubbornly tucked in the plane's nose, airport spokeswoman Maggie Santiago said.
With emergency crews looking on, the pilot shut off the front engine and managed to land the six-passenger plane, bringing the nose down at the last possible moment. It skidded briefly along the Tarmac and then came to a halt. The pilot was not injured and walked away from the white-knuckle landing without a scratch, Santiago said.
"He did an incredible job," she said.
The ordeal started when the pilot learned the front wheel had not dropped. He did a fly-by of the control tower, which confirmed that the front wheel was not down. He repeatedly tried engaging it while circling over the Manzano Mountains. When all options had been tried, he made the decision to land, although he still had ample fuel.
Air traffic controllers diverted the pilot to a runway not used for commercial traffic, Santiago said. The equipment failure did not cause any delays in air traffic.
An air-traffic controller who said he spoke to the man shortly before the landing described the pilot as "calm, very professional."
Santiago did not know where the flight had originated.
The cause of the failure was not known Tuesday night. Officials with the Albuquerque-based Flight Standards District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration were at the scene investigating.