Dramatic video shows the moment a small plane pilot made a “textbook” emergency landing on one landing gear.
Footage from Tuesday afternoon shows a Cape Air Cessna 402C detecting a landing gear problem shortly after taking off for Maine and returning to Boston's Logan Airport. WCVB reported.
As the plane approached the airport, only the wheels under the left wing extended, allowing the pilot to use them to land smoothly, before the plane eventually skidded to a halt without them, according to the footage.
The plane's pilot and two passengers, including a Cape Air trainee, quickly ejected and were all unharmed.
“It was a textbook landing. He landed exactly right,” aviation expert John Nance told WCVB, emphasizing that the pilot's training likely saved him from the rare emergency.
“Whether you're flying a 747, Cessna or any other airplane, this is something you don't want to experience,” Nance added.
Civilian pilot Patrick Smith also praised the unidentified pilot's skills.
“They certainly knew what they were dealing with and what was going to happen,” Smith said. He told WBZ.
“The technique for landing here is to keep the plane on the existing landing gear for as long as possible. This is not easy, and at some point you run out of speed and the plane falls off on the other side.”
The incident caused the plane to circle the airport for at least an hour, delaying its arrival at Logan Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
