Failed landing gear forced the pilot of a LOT Polish Airlines flight carrying 231 people from New Jersey to Poland to make an emergency landing on the plane’s belly Tuesday at the Frederic Chopin International Airport in Warsaw. The landing was successful and everyone on board safely disembarked. No one was injured.
Przemyslaw Przybylski, a spokesman for Frederic Chopin airport, said pilots discovered problems with the landing gear before the flight was scheduled to land at 1:35 local time. They circled the Boeing 767 above the airport for over an hour while preparations were made for the emergency landing. Workers laid flame retardant foam on the runway while fire fighters prepared to hose down the plane.
The Boeing 767 landed at 2:40 without lowering its wheels, causing sparks and small fires. Fire fighters immediately put the flames out and passengers were quickly removed from the aircraft. Passengers and crew members were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
Frederic Chopin International Airport was shut down until Wednesday morning and flights were diverted to other airports.
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